Gerontophobia (from Greek γέρων - gerōn, "old man"[1] and φόβος - phobos, "fear"[2]) is the fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.[3]
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Indicators
Ken Dychtwald identifies seven markers that can make up this phobia in chapter two of Age Wave: How the Most Important Trend of Our Time Will Change Your Future[4]:
- If young is good, then old is bad
- If the young have it all, the old are losing it
- If the young are creative, the old are dull
- If the young are beautiful then the old are unattractive
- If the young are stimulating, then the old are boring
- If the young are full of passion, then the old are beyond caring
- If the children are tomorrow, the old represent yesterday
References
- ^ γέρων, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ φόβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ "Gerontophobia, Ageing and Retirement" Current Science, 10 November 2004
- ^ Dychtwald, Ken; Flower, Joe (1990). Age wave: the challenges and opportunities of an aging America. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-34806-4.