Table of Contents
Understanding Adultism: How Prejudice Silences Children and Why It Matters
Here in this post, we are discussing “Understanding Adultism: How Prejudice Silences Children and Why It Matters”. You can read more about psychology-related material on our website. Keep visiting Psychology Roots.
Table of Contents
Adultism is a term used to describe the prejudice and discrimination that individuals face due to their youth, as defined by Bell (1995) and Fletcher (2015). While children require guidance that is appropriate for their age, this type of bias is frequently overlooked or dismissed.
It’s important to note that not all parenting is inherently adultist, and this prejudice arises when we systematically oppress younger individuals based solely on their age. Adultism can take many forms, including the belief that adults are inherently superior to youth, the prioritization of adult rights over children’s rights, and the expectation that young people will always yield to adult authority, even when it’s harmful or abusive.
While the existing literature on adultism focuses primarily on children, anyone can experience discrimination based on their relative youth. For example, this could occur in a family where older siblings continue to mistreat their youngest sibling or in a workplace where older employees mistreat their junior colleagues simply because of their age.
Adultism is something that individuals pick up at an early age and very few people make it out of infancy without having experienced it to some degree. You most certainly had an experience of adultism if, just because you were a kid, your wishes and needs were disregarded or treated with disdain.
The phrase “Children should be seen and not heard” is one example of a common term that possibly reveals adultist ideas. “You are really too little to comprehend,” she said. “Would you just mature already?” The following are some non-adultist options to explore, as well as approaches to reconsider comments of this nature:
- You may say, “I am focused on something else and can’t listen right now,” rather than the phrase, “Children should be seen and not heard.” Make sure the youngster has a time and a location where they can talk about how they feel.
- You might explain what is going on in a way that is suitable for their age rather than stating things like “You are too young to comprehend.” In such case, you should say that you don’t have the time to discuss things right now.
- You may try asking the person to refrain from doing whatever it is they are doing rather than telling them to “grow up now.”
Being treated in the first way on a regular basis instills in us the belief that the adults around us do not care about our ideas, preferences, wants, or even our most fundamental level of safety. We are taught that “the grown-ups” are more knowledgeable than us and that we should show respect for their authority. We come to realise that we are at the very bottom of a power hierarchy and that our position does not carry much weight.
If these messages are too consistent and damaging, and if they are not appropriately mitigated by other experiences of agency and empowerment, then we run the risk of entering young adulthood with the feeling that we do not matter, and we also run the risk of not knowing how to figure out what it is that we require or want out of life.
Adulthood teaches people to accept the power structures that oppress them. As a consequence of this, it paves the way for the facilitation of the occurrence of various other forms of mistreatment. For instance, if we were taught when we were younger that we are supposed to be at the bottom of a power hierarchy, we might go to work and not give a second thought to the fact that we are being mistreated by our superiors.
It’s possible that we won’t speak up when someone treats us in a sexist or racist way because we’ve been conditioned to believe that our opinions don’t count for much. We may also internalise adultist beliefs and then abuse the power we are given once we do enter adulthood, thereby becoming perpetrators of adultism and continuing the cycle of mistreatment. Alternatively, we may not internalise adultist beliefs and instead choose not to internalise them.
There are instances in which the term “ageism” is used to describe prejudice directed towards younger people. It is possible that it would be more helpful to choose separate language to describe prejudice against younger people (youthism) and older people (ageism), despite the fact that technically neither term is inaccurate. Because each phenomenon is denoted by its own word, we are able to investigate it as the unique experience that it is.
When we parse out the language, we also reduce the likelihood that we will contribute to intergenerational conflict by pitting younger adults against older adults in a competition to determine who is subjected to more or more severe forms of ageism.
Both young people and older adults are susceptible to being idealised and overvalued in equal measure. For instance, some people have a mistaken tendency to romanticise the innocence of childhood, or they may fail to set appropriate limits for children in the misguided belief that they should “let kids be kids.” Young adults are frequently thought of as being more motivated or innovative than older adults, and in some fields, recruitment practises are based on the mistaken belief that only young people possess the qualities that are desired.
People have a tendency to have a rosy view of elderly people because of the wisdom that is thought to come with advancing years. People of a more advanced age may be more likely to insist on being given preferential treatment, even if they are acting in ways that are harmful to others. It’s possible that older adults have an easier time gaining access to leadership roles and higher levels of power because of the misconception that “experience” automatically confers superior competence.
It is essential to take into consideration the various forms of age-based prejudice and discrimination. To this point, not nearly enough focus has been placed on the very real and pervasive ways in which younger people are subjected to systematic oppression and discrimination at the hands of older people.
We need a greater understanding of adultism and the possible long-lasting effects it may have in order to develop a society in which individuals are suitably empowered, can exercise their autonomy and freedom, can be loving towards people of all ages, and can also speak up against injustice.
Help Us Improve This Article
Have you discovered an inaccuracy? We put out great effort to give accurate and scientifically trustworthy information to our readers. Please notify us if you discover any typographical or grammatical errors.
Make a comment. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts.
If you have any scale or any material related to psychology kindly share it with us at psychologyroots@gmail.com. We help others on behalf of you.
