[Dissonance] Ron (2007)

[dissonance at psychologie-sociale.org]

Référence Complète :
Ron, P. (2007). Elderly people's attitudes and perceptions of aging and 
old age: The role of cognitive dissonance? International Journal of 
Geriatric Psychiatry, Vol 22(7), pp. 656-662.

Résumé :
The aim of the research was to examine if and, how the attitudes and 
perceptions were changing during the aging process. The research sample 
included three hundred and eighty-eight elderly people between the ages 
of 65-92 who were sampled for the purpose of analyzing and comparing 
their attitudes and perceptions of old age and aging, in the present, to 
their attitudes and perceptions of these two concepts in the past. 
Method: The research tool was composed of two parts: (A) a short 
demographic questionnaire which examined the following variables: 
gender, age, origin, family status and subjective health definition. (B) 
the second part was essentially qualitative in which subjects were asked 
via an 'interviewer' to reply to an identical question relating to two 
different periods in their lives: in their youth (when you were a young 
man/woman) and today. The data received from the questionnaires was 
processed in two main methods: quantitatively--statistically and 
qualitatively--content analysis. Results: The subjects' attitudes were 
categorized into six different typologies which were identified on a 
continuum: elderly people whose attitude towards old age and aging was 
negative both in the present and in the past were positioned at one end 
of the continuum. Subjects with a positive attitude towards old age, 
both in their youth and in the present were positioned at the opposite 
end of the continuum. Negative attitudes were more prominently described 
by powerful adjectives than positive attitudes were described by the 
subjects. For instance: 'Fear', 'Disgust'. In the description of the 
positive attitude only one powerful adjective was used 'Splendor and 
glory'. Conclusions: A significant correlation was found between 
subjects whose attitudes towards old age in the present were negative 
and those who subjectively defined their health as bad.

Mots-Clés :
elderly attitudes ; aging ; cognitive dissonance

Contact :
Ron, Pnina, School of Social Work, Faculty of Health and Welfare 
Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel, pitzyron at research.haifa.ac.il