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ABSTRACT
Views on aging affect development across the life span through different pathways: They create a developmental context for older people by influencing behavior toward them (stereotyping, ageism), and they become incorporated into the self-concept of older people (self-stereotyping, internalization), which influences their attitudes toward their own age and aging, aging-related behaviors, life satisfaction, and even mortality. In this chapter, we argue that views on aging should be conceived as a domain-specific construct. We provide theoretical arguments for such a view that stems from life span research, as well as empirical evidence from studies that investigate the content and activation of views on aging as well as their consequences for developmental outcomes. We argue that a domain-specific perspective provides a fruitful and more comprehensive framework for addressing the role of views on aging in developmental regulation across the life span.
INTRODUCTION
Views on aging reflect a set of beliefs about "the changes that occur between birth and death, and about the social roles and activities that are to occur in different periods of life" (Settersten, 2009, p. 74). By influencing judgments of as well as attitudes and behavior toward older persons, they exert a direct impact on the developmental opportunities of older persons (Bowen & Staudinger, 2013; Nelson, 2011; Rothermund & Mayer, 2009; Ryan, Hummert, & Boich, 1995). Another, more subtle way how views on aging can influence development is through processes of self-stereotyping and stereotype internalization (Levy, 2009; Rothermund, 2005; Rothermund & Brandtstädter, 2003): One characteristic that distinguishes views on aging from other perceptions of social groups and individuals is that getting older is associated with becoming a member of the former out-group. That is, as we grow older, we become older persons ourselves, and views of old age and aging increasingly tend to color the views which we hold of ourselves in the present and in the future.
For a long time, it has been assumed that views on aging are mainly negative and comprise images of losses as well as an overall deterioration of functioning and well-being (Kite, Stockdale, Whitley, & Johnson, 2005; Nelson, 2011). However, if one thinks about older persons and aging, other things might come to mind as well: gains in wisdom and tenderness, generosity, experience, family orientation,...