I want to share a few extracts from a press release I read recently about Baby Boomers and self-esteem and then make a comment or two.
First, the article…
Self-esteem Declines Sharply Among Older Adults While Middle-aged are Most Confident
WASHINGTON – Self-esteem rises steadily as people age but starts declining around the time of retirement, according to a longitudinal study of men and women ranging in age from 25 to 104.
“Self-esteem is related to better health, less criminal behavior, lower levels of depression and, overall, greater success in life,” said the study’s lead author, Ulrich Orth, PhD. “Therefore, it’s important to learn more about how the average person’s self-esteem changes over time.”
Self-esteem was lowest among young adults but increased throughout adulthood, peaking at age 60, before it started to decline. These results were reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.
On average, women had lower self-esteem than did men throughout most of adulthood, but self-esteem levels converged as men and women reached their 80s and 90s. Blacks and whites had similar self-esteem levels throughout young adulthood and middle age.
In old age, average self-esteem among blacks dropped much more sharply than self-esteem among whites. This was the result even after controlling for differences in income and health. Future research should further explore these ethnic differences, which might lead to better interventions aimed at improving self-esteem, wrote the study’s authors.
Orth doesn’t think baby boomers will skew self-esteem trajectories as the majority of that generation reach retirement age. But with medical advances, they will be healthier longer and, therefore, may be able to work and earn money longer. “It is possible that the decline in self-esteem might occur later in life for baby boomers,” he said.
Article: “Self-Esteem Development From Young Adulthood to Old Age: A Cohort-Sequential Longitudinal Study,” Ulrich Orth, PhD, University of Basel, Kali H. Trzesniewski, PhD, University of Western Ontario and Richard W. Robins, PhD, University of California, Davis; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 98, No. 4.
(Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-98-4-645.pdf)
Well, I’m 62 years old as I write these words and I’ve personally not noticed a decline in self-esteem.
I have noticed that young people are treating me differently than I used to be treated, however.
Perhaps it’s the gray hair that’s replaced the once luscious brown locks atop my head… and the wrinkles on the old face that used to be so smooth and handsome no doubt contribute as well.
But for whatever reason, the younger set are occasionally treating me as if perhaps I needed some help…
For example, nobody ever used to ask me if they could wheel the groceries to the car when I had finished checking out at the supermarket.
But the past nine months or so (can’t remember exactly how long – hahaha) four young whippersnappers have asked me, “You need some help with that?” after they finished bagging my groceries.
I’ve haven’t laid my fist onto the nose of any of these kids yet, but that may happen one of these days if someone smirks like George W. Bush at me! 
I bet you have thoughts about aging boomers and self-esteem…
Chet,
Don’t take the offer to help you as an affront. Someone is training the bagger to have provide good customer care, or someone told his buddies about the possibility of a 50-cent tip per bag or per cart.
For me, some blows to my esteem came from being ignored by clerks in retail establishments to the point I thought I must be invisible or even inaudible. Some blows to my esteem came during my last few years of employment when I was ignored by managers of other departments and my direct supervisor because I actually held them to promises they made. The situations are enough to make me act cantankerous instead of the civil and polite person I really am.
Chet – I WISH I had someone offer to help me with the groceries, so don’t punch those kids in the nose and discourage them!
I also notice that I’m treated differently as I age, and I can take it either as good or bad. I don’t get unwanted attention from men anymore (I’m a lady), so that’s a plus, but I think that employers are reluctant to hire anyone over 50, and THAT’S a minus.
I also find young, middle-age, and older adults treating me as if I’m stupid and with the 5+ decades of education and experience under my belt I am anything but stupid; however that also has good and bad points as well.
Gender & age-related behavior perceptions really hurt me when I’m at a restaurant, though, and the waitstaff thinks I’ll be a lousy tipper because I’m an older woman, so they sometimes give lousy service when I’m out alone or with women friends. I notice a decidedly better level of service when I’m dining out with my husband, so it’s not my imagination.
People who stereotype are ignorant and I do my best to ignore them. Some days I have more success at it than other days, though.
Thanks for asking this thought-provoking question! Have a great day!
Mikel
This finding is not really so surprising. My sense is that the older we get, we’ll feel less and less valued, and therefore have lower self-esteem. Regardless of whether we have fancy degrees or not, we’ve each studied long in the school of life. Some of us have had a harder “curriculum” than others, yet each of us has played witness to historical political events, social change and technological advances. And it may not be fair to expect “youngsters” to stroke our self-esteem – unless we meet them at least half-way. If we don’t stay active in our inter-generational communities, then we won’t have the opportunities to “show our stuff.” And if we don’t do that, then we will continue to be under-valued.
Too bad we don’t have the ‘old ways’ of taking care of your elders…
That said – I find most people very accomodating as to my age – (although frustrating because I still feel like I’m 18). I let them do the lifting and carrying and figure it’s a bonus.
Do you remember where you were when Kennedy was assinatinated, Martin Luther King? Those are emotional stories that can fuel kids to ‘Do Something” as well as understand our generations!
pH