Journal of Aging, Humanities, and the Arts
Official Journal of the Gerontological Society of America
(GSA)
Published By: Routledge
Volume Number: 3
Frequency: 4
Print ISSN: 1932-5614
Roots of Elder Respect: Ideals and Practices in East Asia
Authors: Kyu-Taik Sung a; Ruth Dunkle b
Affiliations: a Center for Filial Piety Culture Studies, Seoul, South Korea
b School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Peoples of East Asia—Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and others-have long-established cultural
approaches to showing respect to elders. Demographic and social changes, however, have
affected the ability of the young to meet traditional expectations. Family sizes are much smaller
than they once were, many young people live a distance from their parents, and a large number
of women—traditional caregivers-work outside the family. Moreover, expectations of the young
have been affected by their exposure to other cultures. In general, young people tend to prefer
reciprocal patterns of mutual respect between generations. However, the values deeply rooted in
their family systems and social structures are preserved even while the manifestation of these
values is being modified. Thus, cultural influence persists; only the way of expressing respect is
being modified.
Keywords: elder respect; filial piety; East Asian values; culture and aging; Confucian teachings
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