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Avoiding Aging? Social Psychology’s Treatment of Age

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Abstract

Population aging, in conjunction with social and cultural transformations of the life course, has profound implications for social systems—from large-scale structures to micro-level processes. However, much of sociology remains fairly quiet on issues of age and aging, including the subfield of social psychology that could illuminate the impact of these broader social forces on individual lives. This study examines the scope of research on age, aging, and the life course in the leading social psychological journal in sociology (Social Psychology Quarterly) and compares it with coverage in the primary social psychology journal in psychology (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) and two sociology journals (American Sociological Review and Journal of Health and Social Behavior). An analysis of articles published between 1977 and 2006 shows that approximately 7 percent in Social Psychology Quarterly or Journal of Personality and Social Psychology seriously considered age. In contrast, 11 % of articles in American Sociological Review and 25 % in Journal of Health and Social Behavior did so. Across the journals, examinations of age increased over time. However, studies reflect a limited range of methodological and theoretical approaches with few employing qualitative methods or a symbolic interactionist perspective. We discuss several under-explored sites for research on age, aging, and the life course that would enrich social psychological and sociological scholarship more broadly.

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Notes

  1. This list is not exhaustive. We focus on the dimensions of age that are most relevant to sociology and social psychology. We note, however, that age also represents a rough proxy for other characteristics of the individual, including intellectual maturity, physical ability, and physiological status.

  2. Interestingly, the reporting of age discrimination did not differ between adults 45–64 and those older than 65, which corresponds with the general finding of lower prevalence of all types of discrimination among older than younger adults. Although the authors do not directly address the age discrimination patterns, they argue that the observed age differences, which may be driven to some degree by actual differences as well as recall failure among older respondents, are likely to be the result of cohort differences in the definitions, perceptions, or sensitivities to unfair treatment.

  3. The name of the journal changed twice during the observation period. Its title since its inception in 1937, Sociometry, was changed to Social Psychology in 1978 and to Social Psychology Quarterly in 1979.

  4. Other ASA-sponsored journals were excluded from consideration because it was anticipated that very few articles would contain focused treatment of age/aging (e.g., Sociology of Education and City and Community).

  5. For the vast majority of studies, this variable refers to the age range of the study sample. Exceptions include, for example, studies of college students’ attitudes toward elderly persons which were coded as considering later life.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Irene Padavic, Deborah Carr, Brian Powell, and Manacy Pai for their helpful comments, and Jessica Ostrander and Erica Toothman for their assistance with data collection. Direct correspondence to Anne Barrett, Associate Professor of Sociology, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, 636 W. Call St., Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306–1121; abarrett@fsu.edu

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  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Anne E. Barrett, Rebecca Redmond & Carmen von Rohr

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  1. Anne E. Barrett
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Correspondence to Anne E. Barrett.

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Barrett, A.E., Redmond, R. & von Rohr, C. Avoiding Aging? Social Psychology’s Treatment of Age. Am Soc 43, 328–347 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-012-9157-2

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