ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 focuses on the intersection between psychology and aging. We examine attitudes toward aging and older people, considering both U.S. mainstream and other cultures’ attitudes. We argue that different attitudes toward aging may lead to different treatment of older people and to different aging experiences. We describe how stereotypes about older adults are both similar and different across cultures and discuss how older people’s beliefs about aging might affect their own aging process. We consider how attitudes toward older people might also contribute to elder abuse. We consider what cognitive changes occur with age and how the psychological experiences of older people can be affected by changes in sensory processes, perception, and cognition. Cultural differences in thinking processes may also be affected by age, and we argue that service providers should be aware of these cultural differences when working with elders from diverse groups.
