What have Maastricht and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) got to do with ageism?
Maastricht is in the far southern tip of the Netherlands, wedged between Belgium and Germany. With the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on 7 February 1992, it became the birthplace of the European Union. At that time, Maastricht was best known for its potteries. Today, amongst other achievements, Maastricht University is known for its excellence in education (the art and science of teaching & learning).
I am familiar with Maastricht because I completed my sponsored Master’s degree in education (health professionals) in Maastricht. I was, by far, at 60, the oldest graduate. Perhaps more importantly, I became acquainted with the works of Soviet (educational) psychologist Lev Vygotsky. He died in 1934 (at the age of 37) from tuberculosis, and his work remained largely unknown till it was rediscovered in the 1980s.
Vygotsky believed that parents, teachers, peers, and society influence our cognitive development. He described learning (sociocultural theory of human learning) as a social process and the origin of human intelligence in society or culture. We make sense of the world through interactions with “more knowledgeable others.”
Vygotsky believed we learn on two levels: first, through interaction with others and then integrating the new knowledge into our mental structure. Hence, every aspect of our cultural development appears twice: first, between people (inter-psychological) and then inside us (intra-psychological).
Vygotsky (sociocultural theory of human learning) suggested we acquire beliefs, for example, ageism, through interactions with people we come into contact with and societal influence. Constant exposure to these beliefs turns them into “self-evident truths” and we integrate them into our mental structure. When that happens, we no longer think about or question them. They become embedded in our mind and culture, guiding our values, beliefs and behaviour.
It is, therefore, not surprising the negative beliefs about ageing (ageism) affect everyone since our educational system perpetuates it. After exposure to our culture’s age stereotypes, our children progressively internalise and use these stereotypes to guide the formation of their attitudes and behaviours. And attitudes determine our behaviour towards people of different ages. When we look at ourselves, we draw unknowingly on our culture’s age stereotypes, resulting in self-directed ageism.
Ageism is everywhere, and here are some terms to categorise them:
- institutional ageism, which occurs when an institution perpetuates ageism through its actions and policies,
- interpersonal ageism, which occurs in social interactions,
- internalised ageism is when a person internalises and applies ageist beliefs to themselves.
We can do something about ageism, beginning with item number (3), ourselves. Pick the low-lying fruits first! Self-limiting behaviour can stem from internalised stereotypes about what an older person can be or cannot be, can do or cannot do. For instance, we started this blog (agewelleveryday.org) in October 2021. Dr Ling Sing Lin was 73, Professor Hong Hai was 78, and I was the youngest (68). Our average age was 73 then. Today, our average age is 75, and we are still growing strong. We can still learn and become IT savvy!
In recent years, studies from psychology and neuroscience have shown that seemingly extraordinary achievements attained by “seniors” are not exceptional. We may face some extra difficulties as our brains age, but we still retain an astonishing ability to learn and master new skills, whatever our age. Our effort will be repaid in maintaining and enhancing our overall cognitive health.
Who says that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? Yes, we should question the wisdom of this well-known proverb. And in doing so, we break the intangible chain that shackled our body and mind.
We wish you a smashing time, smashing ageism! In Part III, we explore how we could liberate ourselves from the constraints imposed by ageism.
To be continued in Part III – Reflections on Ageism in Hanoi III: Young at Heart, Cliff Richard, and Us
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
