Mind: For Elderly, Conservative Beliefs Buffer Self-Esteem

Newly published research suggests senior citizens have a strong unconscious incentive to embrace culturally conservative values: Turning to the right apparently bolsters their self-esteem.

The researchers found growing older was associated with lower levels of self-esteem among those on the liberal side of the scale. But conservatives were spared that decline, leading them to conclude that conservatism buffers the negative effect of age on self-esteem.

Van Hiel and Brebels note this confirms the results of their 2009 study, which found that for the elderly, an authoritarian attitude appears to buffer the harsh effect of negative life events on mental distress.

Right-wing beliefs are good for old people, they write. Conservatism predicts healthy self-esteem above and beyond narcissism among the oldest.

Why would this be? Van Hiel and Brebels argue that old age is a time to take stock of your life and attempt to find meaning. For most, this means looking back at your experiences and accomplishments in the context of your social environment. A social-conservative belief system, which values your culture or society above others, would elevate your own personal status, thus propping up your self-esteem.

Ego-integrated individuals have a strong sense of being part of a given culture and tradition that is rooted in the past and should be preserved in the future, they write. Hence, adherence to culture and traditions might be considered a means of granting significance to oneself as a person.

The down side of this, of course, is that people favoring their own group tend to derogate out-groups and to reject everyone who threatens their world view, the researchers write. This results in higher levels of prejudice among the elderly — a phenomenon widely noted in the U.S., but usually ascribed to a reduced ability to repress implicit biases, including those acquired during their formative years in the pre-Civil Rights era.

For more, see For Elderly, Conservative Beliefs Buffer Self-Esteem by Tom Jacobs, October 7, 2010 at Miller-McCune.