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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
06:58
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Age-related stigma and the golden section hypothesis
Rebekah M Widrick1, Jonathan D Raskin
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA.
Aging & Mental Health
|May 11, 2010
Summary
Older adults and senior citizens are often viewed negatively, aligning with a reverse golden section hypothesis. This suggests societal stigma attached to aging, influencing perceptions of age-related identities.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Gerontology
Background:
- The golden section hypothesis suggests people organize information with a 61.8% positive to 38.2% negative ratio.
- This study investigates if age-related identities follow a reverse golden section pattern, with negative ratings dominating.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine age-related identities using the golden section hypothesis.
- To test the prediction that aging population identities would receive predominantly negative ratings.
Main Methods:
- 148 participants completed an online golden section survey.
- Participants rated 15 identities (e.g., elderly person, self) using 12 positive-negative adjective pairs.
Main Results:
- Identities like 'elderly person' and 'senior citizen' received ratings consistent with the reverse golden section hypothesis.
- The 'self' identity was rated positively (71%), aligning with prior research.
- Other identities followed the traditional golden section hypothesis; 'mental patient' and 'homeless person' did not show a reverse pattern.
Conclusions:
- Certain elderly identities are associated with stigma, leading to negative connotations.
- Societal views on aging contribute to the negative perception of age-related terms.
- The findings highlight the impact of societal stigma on how age-related identities are perceived.
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