How Do I Respect Thee? Let Me Count The Ways: Deference Towards Elderly Men and Women

Abstract

In our previous work we have suggested that the status of the aged is influenced by the kinds of information they provide to other community members. In this paper we examine the different means by which the appreciation of others is expressed in a sample of 34 societies. The categories of deference described are spatial (e.g., special seats for old people), victual (e.g., given choice foods), linguistic (e.g., addressed in honorifics), presen tational (e.g., special posture assumed in their presence), service (e.g., house keeping performed for them), prestative (e.g., given gifts), and celebrative (e.g., ceremonies held in their honor). We present the frequency distribu tions of these deference categories by sex, and make an initial attempt to interpret the findings in terms of the higher order concepts of custodial and symbolic deference.

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