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Age Of Champions Social Identity Theory

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Age of Champions and the Social Identity Theory Stephanie Brodwater Shelby Spiwak Madison Suhr Missouri State University Abstract In our society, older adults are deemed inactive and socially withdrawn. However, in the documentary, Age of Champions, the older adults are competing in the National Senior Olympics, defying all stereotypes that are associated with older adults. There are 11 older adults that constitute the participants of this study. These participants align themselves with a different social identity than the stigmas that society gives them, such as being unable to compete in sports. In this study, research about social identity theory from various authors is compared to the lives of the participants in the documentary, …show more content…

Social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s) (Harwood, 2007). “In social identity theory and identity theory, the self is reflexive in that it can take itself as an object and can categorize, classify, or name itself in particular ways in relation to other social categories or classification” (Stets & Burke, 2000). The social identity theory has been known to let individuals find their own niche and group that they want to belong to. This could include what the individuals are active in or involved in. Research has also found that the groups that they classify themselves in can cause the participants to look down upon other groups that they are not involved in (Harwood, 2007). Negative attitudes are more of a complex issue, but interesting ideas come from explanations that emerge for social identity theory (Harwood, …show more content…

Older adults can transition themselves into groups at their living facility or at a community center, which improves the likelihood of becoming a part of a group. After becoming a part of a group, the individual will feel a certain identity that pertains to that specific group. Communication skills will then begin to improve over time and they will communicate more often when they are in their social group or talking about their social

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