The Portrayal of the Aging

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Abstract
This study assesses the frequency, attributes, and manifest social behaviors of the elderly on network fictional television series in 1975, 1976, and 1977. The content analysis shows that the aging represent a small and decreasing proportion of all television characters, with a decline from 4% to 2% across the three seasons studied. Elderly characters appear disproportionately in situation comedies; compared to other age groups, the aging are more likely to be male and lower class, and less likely to break the law. The elderly tend to be low in physical aggression but high in verbal abusiveness. The implications of these depictions for social learning by both young and old viewers are discussed.

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