From ageism to respectful ageism: how is the China-specific phenomenon formed?

Abstract Ageism represents a significant international challenge within the field of gerontology, but the concept of respectful ageism is a phenomenon unique to China. This study explores the mechanisms through which ageism is produced and subsequently transformed into respectful ageism. It specifically focuses on the implementation of the home-based care bed policy as a case study, grounded in Merton's theory of social structure and anomie. The study revealed that grassroots policy implementers, confronted with the interplay of institutionalized means and cultural goals, adopted a behavioral strategy characterized by ritualism. This approach facilitated the production mechanism of ageism, aligning seamlessly with the theoretical framework of social structure and anomie. However, owing to the influence of cultural traditions on individual behavioral reproduction, grassroots policy implementers undergo two additional processes: cultural retrospection and individual rethinking. These processes emerge after the formation of ageism and contribute to the transformation of ageism into respectful ageism. These findings elucidate the production mechanisms of ageism and the transformative processes that characterize respectful ageism, a phenomenon specific to China. The theoretical contribution of this research is that the individual behavioral strategies derived from social structure and anomie theory, within the Chinese context, are not merely outcomes of individual choice. Rather, the individual behavioral reproduction influenced by cultural traditions gives rise to new behavioral mechanisms among grassroots policy implementers. This research enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of respectful ageism within the Chinese context and illustrates the innovative impact of cultural traditions on the reproduction of individual behaviors.