Abstract

Physical aggression is a distressing yet characteristic condition of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although scholarship has examined aggression in Alzheimer’s patients, scant attention has been paid to any possible cross-cultural variation in the manifestation of AD related physical aggression. Through a reappropriation of Aristotle’s framework of ethos, pathos, logos, we share our research on the depiction of physical aggression in Alzheimer’s disease across different cultural settings. This study makes two contributions to the field of social sciences. First, studies on Alzheimer’s disease are highly relevant as many countries grapple with dementia in the rising number of elderly in their populations. The issue of cultural variation in the manifestation of AD is particularly important in countries of immigration which experience this rise in the elderly population. Second, it has a practical impact on the compilation of future instructional materials, and the incorporation of literacy artifacts into the instruction for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. Consequently, how this disease is understood holds great importance for researchers and policymakers at local, national and global levels. Data are gathered from national Alzheimer’s association websites in the United States, Germany and India. Written language and images used in these websites are then analyzed to uncover similarities and differences in how physical aggression is defined in terms of the patients and social norms’ background and in relation to the environment.