Abstract
Fear of death and institutional separation of persons of different age groups are major contributors to ageism. Drawing on research in social psychology, this article introduces two remedies that can reduce stereotypes toward older adults: The first remedy is intergenerational connections with the intergroup contact hypothesis as its theoretical underpinnings. The second remedy is use of narrative in age-heterogeneous groups. Since religious communities are among the few places in society where persons of all stages of life meet, they can, when intentionally structured, be settings with promise for intergenerational connections and play a role in counteracting ageism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Boston: Beacon.
Birren, J. E., & Deutchman, D. E. (1991). Guiding autobiography groups for older adults. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Bytheway, B. (2005). Ageism and age categorization. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 361–374.
Clements, W. (1979). Care and counseling of the aging. Philadelphia: Fortress.
Dovidio, J., Kawakami, K., & Gaertner, S. E. (2000). Reducing contemporary prejudice: Combating explicit and implicit bias at the individual and intergroup level. In S. Oskamp (Ed.), Reducing prejudice and discrimination (pp. 137–163). Mahwah: Erlbaum.
Galinsky, A., & Moskowitz, G. (2000). Perspective-taking: decreasing stereotype expression, stereotype accessibility, and in-group favoritism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(4), 708–724.
Hagestad, G., & Uhlenberg, P. (2005). The social separation of old and young: a root of ageism. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 343–360.
Martens, A., Goldenberg, J., & Greenberg, J. (2005). A terror management perspective on ageism. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 223–239.
Nagda, B., & Derr, A. (2004). Intergroup dialogue: Embracing difference, conflict, engendering community. In G. Stephan & W. Vogt (Eds.), Education programs for improving intergroup relations: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 133–151). New York: Teachers College.
Nelson, T. (2005). Ageism: prejudice against our feared future self. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 207–221.
Nussbaum, J., Pitts, M., Huber, F., Raup Krieger, J., & Ohs, J. (2005). Ageism and ageist language across the life span: intimate relationships and non-intimate interactions. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 287–305.
Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 65–84.
Schoem, D. (1995). Teaching about ethnic identity and intergroup relations. In D. Schoem, L. Frankel, X. Zúñiga, & E. Lewis (Eds.), Multicultural teaching in the university (pp. 15–25). Westport: Praeger.
Sfeir-Younis, L. (1995). Reflections on teaching of multicultural courses. In D. Schoem, L. Frankel, X. Zúñiga, & E. Lewis (Eds.), Multicultural teaching in the university (pp. 61–76). Westport: Praeger.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In St Worchel & W. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (2nd ed., pp. 7–24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Taylor, D., & Moghaddam, F. (1994). Theories of intergroup relations: International social psychological perspectives (2nd ed.). Westport: Praeger.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grefe, D. Combating Ageism with Narrative and Intergroup Contact: Possibilities of Intergenerational Connections. Pastoral Psychol 60, 99–105 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-010-0280-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-010-0280-0