Respectfully Treating the Elderly: Affective and Behavioral Ways of American Young Adults

Abstract

There has been little research on how young people respect, or disrespect, older adults. This study explored the ways in which young adults connote elder respect by utilizing two different forms of data. Based on quantitative data from a survey of 521 college students, a set of 11 behavioral forms of elder respect was obtained. Out of these forms, 6 were identified as most frequently practiced. Additionally, by interviewing the subjects, qualitative data based on narratives explicating the dynamic practice of elder respect were obtained, and factors that hold a central significance to the development of respectful behavior towards elders are identified. Implications of the findings from both types of the data and suggestions for future research are discussed.