Stereotype Embodiment

TLDR

Researchers have shifted focus from younger to older individuals regarding age stereotypes. The study proposes a theory of stereotype embodiment based on experimental and longitudinal research. The theory posits that stereotypes are internalized, can operate unconsciously, become salient through self‑relevance, and affect functioning and health via multiple pathways. Research shows that older adults’ positive and negative age stereotypes respectively benefit and harm cognitive and physical outcomes, underscoring that aging is partly socially constructed.

Abstract

Researchers have increasingly turned their attention from younger individuals who hold age stereotypes to older individuals who are targeted by these stereotypes. The refocused research has shown that positive and negative age stereotypes held by older individuals can have beneficial and detrimental effects, respectively, on a variety of cognitive and physical outcomes. Drawing on these experimental and longitudinal studies, a theory of stereotype embodiment is presented here. It proposes that stereotypes are embodied when their assimilation from the surrounding culture leads to self-definitions that, in turn, influence functioning and health. The theory has four components: The stereotypes (a) become internalized across the life span, (b) can operate unconsciously, (c) gain salience from self-relevance, and (d) utilize multiple pathways. The central message of the theory, and the research supporting it, is that the aging process is, in part, a social construct.