Perceived elderly traits and young people's helping tendencies in the U.S., Ireland, Nigeria & Brazil

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology

Publication Date

1-1-2002

Abstract

The traits young people (undergraduates) in the U.S., Ireland, Nigeria, and Brazil attribute to elderly people had implications on their tendencies to help or not to help them. Traits were classified as either "attractive" or "unattractive" and they fell under Positive Personal, Positive Interpersonal, and Positive Need on the one hand, and Negative Personal, Negative Interpersonal, and Negative Need on the other. The "attractive" elderly traits were more likely to influence young people's tendency to help elderly persons and elderly parents in both Western (the U.S.A. and Ireland) and non-Western societies (Nigeria and Brazil) societies. Although "unattractive" traits did not prevent young people from desiring to help their elderly parents in both Western and non-Western societies, it did have a strong influence in their tendency to not help the elderly. The results were discussed within the frame-work of individualism/collectivism, with suggestion made for future research. © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Volume

17

Issue

1

First Page

57

Last Page

69

DOI

10.1023/A:1014834819648

ISSN

01693816

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