“内化”抑或“分离”:年龄刻板印象对成功老化的影响

Stereotype Internalization or Age-Group Dissociation:The Influence of Age Stereotype on Successful Aging

年龄刻板印象对成功老化具有系统性影响,主要表现为两种相互矛盾的心理机制,即“年龄刻板印象内化”与“年龄组分离”。当面对积极或消极年龄刻板印象时,老年人会通过刻板印象内化将社会文化共享的年龄刻板印象信息同化到自我概念之中,引致同化效应,从而使年龄刻板印象成为自我实现预言;另一方面,当激活消极年龄刻板印象时,老年人亦倾向于“年龄组分离”,产生自我知觉偏见,从而引致对比效应,以保护个体自我概念,使成年晚期发展免受消极年龄刻板印象的不良影响。年龄刻板印象内化和分离整合模型(SIDI)进一步阐释了刻板印象内化或年龄组分离发生的边界条件,为成功老化干预提供了可行路径。

The influence mechanism of social age stereotype on successful aging is mainly manifested by two opposing effects,namely “internalization of age stereotypes” and “age-group dissociation”.On the one hand,it has been shown that older adults assimilate socially-shared age stereotypes into their self-concepts through age stereotype internalization when faced with positive or negative age stereotypes,then making age stereotypes become self-fulfilling prophecies.On the other hand,there is considerable evidence for age-group dissociation,showing that older adults are motivated to counteract negative age stereotypes and engage in self-protective behavior by putting psychological distance between oneself and similarly aged people to protect their self-concept and adult development from negative age stereotypes,giving rise to the contrast effects.Furthermore,the integrated model of age-stereotype internalization and dissociation(SIDI)further elucidate the boundary conditions under which the assimilation effect or contrast effect occur,and thus provide possible pathways for successful aging intervention.