Gerontophobia: the rejection of older people and aging

Nothing enhances a society as much as appreciating and caring for the older population. Valuing this stage of the life cycle is something that we should all keep in mind. However, there are attitudes and behaviors that break with this essential principle. Gerontophobia, defined as the fear of growing old and repulsion towards the elderly themselves, is an example of this.

Few events could be more regrettable, there is no doubt. What’s more, in a context like the current one, the phenomenon of animosity or even invisibility towards the elderly has only increased. Figures such as Adela Cortina, philosopher and professor of Ethics at the University of Valencia, for example, even point out that we are witnessing how there are people who believe that our elders do not deserve dignity.

It was Emmanuel Kant who also emphasized that all human beings, including our elders, deserve special and dignified treatment just for being who they are, just for existing. We cannot, therefore, neglect an elderly person simply because he or she is one.we cannot exclude support, assistance, affection and presence to a man or a woman just because they are older.

Gerontophobia: definition and characteristics

Gerontophobia or gerascophobia basically defines the pathological fear of aging.. This is a clinical phobia that appears in the specific phobias section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the DSM-V.

On the other hand, something important should be noted. Although it is true that in some cases we may be faced with a clear psychological condition, it is also We can talk about gerontophobia as a discriminatory social attitude.

That is to say, beyond the clinical level (of those who compulsively resort to surgery to appear eternally youthful) there is the social rejection of the elderly. Adela Cortina herself has pointed out that in the current pandemic more than one has seen with some relief that a good part of the deceased were elderly people. Gerontophobia is also a clear discriminatory attitude.

Characteristics that define this phobia and social rejection

Those who suffer from gerontophobia first show anxiety marked by the passage of time and the fact of aging. However, this fear goes beyond mere physical change. It’s much more, we analyze it below:

People with this type of phobia fear physical weakness, the onset of illness, deterioration, physical pain and dependence.They have a clearly biased view of aging, as if reaching old age were synonymous with disability. They associate the passage of time with the absolute loss of attributes: beauty, intelligence, independence and above all, continuing to be someone valid for oneself and society. On the other hand , It is common for those who suffer from gerontophobia to resort to cosmetic surgery operations.

The thought markers of the person with gerontophobia

It is always interesting to highlight the work of the gerontologist Ken Dychtwald on this dimension. Already in the 90s he anticipated in his book The Age Wave the challenges that we were going to face in an increasingly aging society.

According to him, there was a disruptive element that we had to eliminate from the substrate of our thinking and attitude. It was neither more nor less than Gerontophobia and the markers that define it, according to him:

Thinking that young is good and old is bad. Taking for granted that young people are highly creative and the older adult no longer has anything to contribute.Assume that youth is gain and maturity is loss.Thinking that youth is fun and older people are boring. Assume that young people are attractive and older adults are unpleasant. Youth is passion and maturity is concern.If the young are the present, the elderly are the yesterday that is no longer useful.

The dignity of the elderly and the need to revalue our elders

Throughout the pandemic we have seen many examples of gerontophobia. The screenings in hospitals leaving the elderly in the residence to their fate was a sad example at a specific time. Added to this discriminatory attitude is the ageism that is already long-rooted in our society. The worst of all is that these dynamics cost lives, diminish well-being and, above all, dignities.

The hatred of the elderly and the pathological rejection of old age comes from ignorance, from the cult of the young., of those who discriminate against those who are different because they simply do not understand them, it makes them uncomfortable and reinforces totally wrong stereotypes. Even more, gerontophobia is the exercise of immoral behavior, of those who not only fear old age, but also those who engage in supremacist behavior.

Every phobia is treated by rationalizing ideas, emotions and at the same time exposing oneself to the terrifying focus. In this case, something is obvious. We will all grow old. The gerontophobe will sooner or later find himself becoming what he fears most.

Let us therefore hope that when that happens, the society that surrounds him is sensitive and intelligent enough to treat him as he deserves: with love and humanity.

You might be interested…