The world is growing old fast, and Hong Kong is no exception. In the next 30 years, the over-65 population here is expected to double, due in part to the influx of young mainland immigrants from 1945-1955, the baby boom in the 1960 and 1970s, and the city's outstanding life expectancy rate. Since perceptual 'truths' need to keep in step with such trends, academic number crunchers are now busily debunking age-related myths - or at least attempting to redress the prevailing youth-orientated balance by demonstrating that age is not that bad after all. Research has suggested, for example, that only certain sorts of memory deteriorate with age and that often, experience outweighs minor reductions in faculties. Of particular interest, given the economic implications of the ageing trend, is that older workers - in particular managers - tend to be less susceptible to stress than their younger counterparts. That has long been the consensus among American researchers, but in the past few years the same pattern has been found among Hong Kong Chinese managers. There are several explanations for this, reports Sin Oi-ling, of Lingnan University, who, along with colleagues, conducted a study of 634 members of the 1997 Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, aged between 20 and 72. For one, younger managers are generally more disgruntled with what they get out of their work. Older workers are probably less stressed partly because their seniority has lifted them out of the fray. They are also paid more. However, external factors like job description and pay package do not appear to explain the stress gap entirely. Younger managers, it seems, are more stressed because of characteristics representative of their particular life stage. Notably, there is the notion of internal locus of control. Locus of control describes how an individual ascribes power and direction - whether he or she sees work as a place where control is largely arbitrary or in other people's hands, or whether they feel control lies within themselves. Obviously, having the view that one has a real say in things relates to external circumstances, such as whether one is invited to attend certain meetings and to what extent one's work is supervised. But what matters most is not whether a person is consulted, trusted or obeyed. Rather, it is whether that individual feels those things at times that count most. This is heavily influenced by personal attributes such as one's particular array and calibre of ego defences - self-esteem, professional assurance, social confidence, and so on - all of which are affected by the ageing process. Broadly speaking, locus of control becomes more internalised with age - people believe more in their own control over their lives as they age, both in the workplace and elsewhere. Perhaps this is because older people have had to face up to their limitations, which may lead to a more modest and realistic desire for direct control. There is also evidence that older people develop a greater range of coping strategies. This gives them the ability to assess problems with more distance. The stress gap between younger and older managers is greater in Hong Kong than in the US. Chinese researchers suggest this is due to the influence of the cultural characteristics of filial piety. Promotion, for example, is more aligned with seniority in Chinese communities and older workers are generally more valued and respected than in the more youth-orientated west. As the world ages, maybe the cliche of the Oriental sage - transposed to the modern workplace - will take on fresh meaning. Jean Nicol is a psychologist specialising in issues of cultural identity and change in an era of globalisation everydaypsychologist@yahoo.com
