Studies have shown that when people grow older, the negative perceptions about age(ing) become self-directed. In this study, we examined if and how this assertion is expressed in the self-presentation of older adults.

To explore this issue, we undertook an online survey with 818 Israeli older adults (aged 65–90) who were asked to present themselves in writing, using an open question and to choose the age terms that they preferred, relying on a multiple-choice question. Responses were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using “word cloud” and linguistic inquiry.

The analysis indicated three ways of coping with the issue of age in one’s self-presentation: Absence of old age – older people who blur their processes of aging; Camouflaged aging – older people who emphasize their age by using a line of self-ageism; Multiplicity of old age terms – the existing gap between what is being used by people and the ideal related to the use of existing age terms. The findings highlight the role of subjective age in one’s self-presentations.

The results point to the ambivalence that older people feel in relation to their age(ing) and especially reflect the paradox of subjective age. That is, on the one hand studies have stressed the positive aspects of this practice, whereas on the other hand, subjective age possibly reflects a response to internalized negative stereotypes and prejudice about old age(ing). In this sense, this study expands the knowledge in the field of self-presentation and (subjective) age in the second half of life.

研究表明，当人们变老时，对年龄的负面看法就会变得自我导向。在这项研究中，我们研究了老年人的自我呈现中是否以及如何表达这一主张。

为了探讨这个问题，我们对 818 名以色列老年人（65-90 岁）进行了一项在线调查，他们被要求使用开放式问题以书面形式展示自己，并通过多项选择来选择他们喜欢的年龄术语问题。使用“词云”和语言查询对回答进行定性和定量分析。

分析指出了在自我表现中应对年龄问题的三种方法：不存在老年——老年人模糊了自己衰老的过程；伪装衰老——老年人通过自我年龄歧视来强调自己的年龄；老年术语的多样性——人们正在使用的内容与与现有年龄术语的使用相关的理想之间存在的差距。研究结果强调了主观年龄在自我介绍中的作用。

结果表明，老年人对自己的年龄感到矛盾，尤其反映了主观年龄的悖论。也就是说，一方面研究强调了这种做法的积极方面，而另一方面，主观年龄可能反映了对老年的内在负面刻板印象和偏见的反应。从这个意义上说，这项研究拓展了自我呈现和后半生（主观）年龄领域的知识。