Disengafication Theory Of Aging

Disengagement Theory states that older adults withdraw from social roles and relationships that were one

work, hobbies and relationships. At this stage old people are disengaging from the responsibility and livelihood that they were previously experiencing and decide to become inactive, less social and have minimum friendly interactions with others. When people get older they start to live their life in the opposite way to how they lived it when they were younger. When in the disengagement process those people who were usually active and social as they get older they would begin to withdraw from all these positive things in their lives and give up on what was seen as traditional and normal behaviour, this could be anything from going to work or visiting the social club. In the disengagement process any normal and routine thing such as work or visiting friends would reverse and change into something that was completely negative like retiring from work and being anti-social. Cumming said that the amount of social contact that the old people would experience will slowly reduce as they get older and they would chose to become more independent and individual in terms of shutting other out of their lives and resorting to doing nothing active or meaningful in their lives with this they have a less concern with what others expect from them. He also said that disengagement was a natural process that comes with aging which is appropriate and healthy for older people to withdraw from the people around

During the aging process, the elderly may take different approaches to aging and may apply to different theories of aging such as the disengagement theory and the activity theory. All elderly individuals will deal with aging in different ways, they may wish to stay active or they may wish to disengage themselves due to depression or they may be unable to deal with the processes of becoming older. Both of these theories of aging have completely different thoughts and views of the aging process.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), "more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese." This fact effectively underscores the seriousness of the issue at hand. Further, it means that obesity is affecting millions of people in the U.S. alone (either directly or indirectly). As McKnight (2006) points out, one of the leading causes of death in America is physical inactivity. Physical inactivity coupled with other factors has been branded a leading cause of obesity. Every day, people die from obesity related diseases including but not limited to hypertension and heart disease as others have their social lives greatly inhibited by the condition. In the recent past, debate has been rife on whether obesity should be branded a disease or a factor contributing to ill health. Whether classified as a disease or a factor contributing to ill health, the epidemic remains one of the main preventable causes of death not only in the U.S. but also across the world. In the modern day, both comfort and convenience have come to be regarded top human priories. In pursuance of these two "ideals", healthy living has seemingly taken a backseat. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits is slowly making America a fat nation and as a result, we are slowly gravitating towards poor health. It is this trend that is making obesity synonymous with disease. Obesity is however not a disease but one of the many factors that contribute to ill health.

The activity theory stated that Bromley said that a lot of older people had to disengage themselves as they aged but he also had said along with this, they had to remain active to keep healthy. For Bromley remaining active was very crucial because it maintained a beings physical and mental active mind. He argued that maintain an interest in life and with others should not be disengaged. For Bromley disengaging totally was like the term stagnation. This is basically when there is a huge loss in an individuals both mental and physical skills in life.

As defined by Crossman (Disengagement Theory n.d.) “Disengagement theory states that in every society, the elderly undergo a process of adjustment in which they leave important public roles and narrow their social world to family and friends”. Thus, the

The stigma of the sedentary lifestyle is not limited to working. Many sedentary habits develop at ones home. Watching television and playing on the computer have proven to be one of the least engaging metabolic activities. Riding, driving and reading have proven to have higher metabolic rates then watching television or playing a game on the computer. Working and watching television consumes many American’s time (Medical Center). Based on a study done in 2012 the average American under the age of two watches approximately thirty-four hours of live television a week and three to six hours watching taped programs a week (Hinckley). In the end, a small fraction of the day is left to burn calories and raise ones metabolic rate (Medical Center).

With new technological advancements and the changing of times, people have become increasingly sedentary in their daily lives (“Pounding Away”). With all of our cars and motorized vehicles, few people are forced into strenuous physical activities that would burn the calories needed for a healthy lifestyle. With the creation of robots and mechanized devices to make working more efficient and cheapen labor costs, less than 20% of jobs in the private sector now require moderate physical activity (“Obesity in America”). What had once required for you to get up and walk to the other side of the room can now be done by writing an email or picking up a phone. This decrease in activity in the workplace would be fine if it were counterbalanced by steady leisure exercise. Sadly, many people in their leisure time do not exercise. What do they do instead? The average American spends “55% of his waking hours sitting down” (“Obesity in America”), whether it’s in front of a TV or a computer. Another outcome of the modern age is the change in eating habits. Serving sizes have steadily increased and many fast food places now offer an option to super-size their meals, e.g. McDonald’s, for just a few cents

Obesity has had a significant impact on American. In the United States, the statistic shows more than 69% of adult are either obese or overweight. Even children have become heavier as well. Approximately 17% of American children in the age range between 2 to 11 has nearly three times the prevalence from one generation ago (X). People in this generation are not as active as their ancestor or parents. Many adults and children are obsessing with electronic devices that they would sit in the chair for hours. Physical inactivity and poor diet are a significant threat to health that may overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death (square). Obesity did not happen overnight; it happens over time. The body weight of our body is the result of the choices we make: food, environment, and exercise. When the energy we take in from food is not in balance with the energy we burn from exercise will result in increased weight. Obese people require extensive attention to their health and it can affect their daily basic life routines.

Throughout this semester we have come across many psychological and social theories. From Vaillant’s aging well, to Erikson’s life stages, to Leont’ev’s activity theory, there is a lot to learn and to understand. For the purpose of this paper, I am going to focus on the Activity Theory of aging. After some thorough research on this topic I was able to come up with some great information about

Today's world is full of modern conveniences. Communication is at the touch of a button, you can drive right to the window and get handed a greasy, hot meal, and even walking has become bothersome. Trying to find that spot closest to the door is worth driving around the lot five times. Kids play more in virtual reality than outdoors, and parents who are strapped for time settle on quick, processed meals for dinner. Unfortunately, we've created an environment fit for the lazy. Instead of having to preform physical activities to function throughout the day, we must find time for physical activity, which might not be realistic for everyone. The fast food industry and quick processed dinners feed the consumer with no time for exercise, and the

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States, causing about 610,000 deaths yearly (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Cardiovascular disease is defined as a group of disorders damaging the heart and blood vessels, usually involving the blockage of vessels, which in turn harm the heart (WHO, 2015). A 2011 American Heart Association statement predicted that without intervention, 40% of United States adults will have at least one form of Cardiovascular disease by 2030. A large portion of these deaths by cardiovascular disease is due to the sedentary population. To better prevent cardiovascular disease, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee stated that adults should complete about 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity weekly (Barry, Blair, Church, Hooker, Sui, Warren, 2010). Research has shown that meeting these recommendations is linked with lower cardiovascular disease risk, as well as reduced risk of mortality. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only about 20.3% of Americans meet these guidelines. These statistics show that the majority of the United States population does not get nearly the amount of physical activity they need. However, even though many people are not doing the recommended amount of physical activity, this may not mean that they are living a sedentary life. Living a sedentary lifestyle is

Disengagement theory is the first formal theory of aging. It was first proposed in 1961 by Elaine Cumming and William Hendry. They both were researchers from the University of Chicago. The two developed their theory in their book Growing Old: The Process of Disengagement. In the book they criticized the implicit theory that people can adjust, be satisfied, and happy in old age. They can also be physically involved and remain active throughout their lives. “Cumming and Henry argued that normal aging involves a natural and inevitable mutual and inevitable mutual withdrawal or disengagement, resulting in decreasing interaction between an aging person and others in the social system he belongs to.” Because of the inevitability of death, the society and the individual mutually server their ties in advance so that the death of the individual will not be disruptive to the social system. The disengagement theory results in decreasing interaction between aging person and social system.

According to Connie’s case study the loss of her husband and handful of friends wears on her mentality. Also, because of the fall she had in the shower it made her housebound and unable to go out which she loses contact of her bridge friends. The ageing theory that applies to her is disengagement theory. This theory means older people withdrawing from social activity. This could be because they are retired, or due to their health issues and so on. According to Cumming and Henry, older people will naturally tend to withdraw from social involvement with others as they get older.

1) The article from The Gerontologist supports the activity theory of aging. This states that as people age, it is very important for them to be engaged in various activities and social roles. As described in the lecture, studies have shown that those who stay involved have less signs of depression and have a lesser decline in mental health. In addition, they are considered more competent than others in their age group by the general population since they are actively participating in society. The research described in the article proved that those who had moderate or high participation in activities such as working, volunteering, and caregiving had a better psychological well-being. It is not necessarily just taking part in these, but the level in which one does so is also crucial. It appears that moderate participation is the best way to a better psychological well-being, as one does not want to be overworked, but should still be involved.