Teenagers and Aging: Adolescent Literature as an Attitude Source

A content analysis of 53 books that have won the Newbery Medal for Adolescent Literature was carried out to determine what images of older people are presented through these books. The analysis disclosed that while older people are adequately represented numerically, they are underdeveloped and consistently given peripheral roles within the plot. The average number of descriptive items per older character was 4.6, which was not sufficient to show the older person as complex, motivated, and interesting. Results are discussed in terms of formation of attitudes towards older people during adolescence, perpetuation of negative stereotypes of aging, and implications for writers, librarians, and others concerned with adolescent education.