This document discusses common stereotypes associated with different age groups. Stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about social groups. For each age group - teenagers, old people, middle age, and children - the document explores how they are commonly stereotyped, why these stereotypes are used, how their representation has changed over time, and relevant theories around stereotypes. Behind each stereotype is often some element of truth, according to theorist Tessa Perkins. For example, statistics show teenage crime and antisocial behavior has risen in recent years.

1. Stereotype- Age A stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior assumptions. Including- Teenagers, old people, middle age and children

3. A place where you would find almost any stereotype is in a typical British soap opera. E.g. Eastenders, Coronation Street.

5. Peoplesopinions… ‘Sometimes old peeps have good stories and its funny when old couples fight.I often ask my grandpa to tell me about when he was young and how he and my grandma got married etc. He tells the cutest stories but she always yells at him to shut up and not annoy the grandkids with old people stories and tells him he's boring. They’re so old they can just say anything and get away with it.Its hilarious.’ ‘baby jeebus’ http://board.flashkit.com/board/archive/index.php/t-633626.html ‘I don’t like kids because they run all over the place screaming and breaking things and getting lost and falling down and hurting themselves and then people blame the adult nearest to them for this. plus they are massively expensive, massively emotionally demanding, very gross, can not be reasoned with and ungrateful to the extreme.’ wicked witch of east http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091123072728AAu83Z9 ‘The stereotypical teen is dramatic, ignorant, and weak amongst other things. Or so, this is the way they are perceived by adults.’ Jen M. Hernandez http://www.helium.com/knowledge/38508-the-stereotypical-teen ‘A 40-year-old in the seventeenth century could be doing good, but they could also be suffering from rotted teeth and be crippled by poorly healed injuries or TB or syphilis.’ Thomas R http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/09/why-are-middle-aged-people-sad.html

7. Children- Always been seen as energetic and lively, and quite cute. They still are today, so really their image hasn’t changed.

8. Teenagers- Were originally seen as a bit threatening, and still are, but to an even worse extent. They have been portrayed in the media is getting worse, like in the newspapers, they have been blamed for “Broken Britain”.

9. Middle age- Their image has always been an image of grey hairs and mid-life crisis’s, and still is today in general.

11. Old people- Viewed as cardigan wearing, not very active, shuffling around in slippers. Tend to live in bungalows, and have Zimmer frames.

13. For example, teenagers crime rates have been rising dramatically in recent years. The amount of them that carry around knives, or are involved in anti-social behaviour is way up on past years.