Theoretical Perspective on Aging Hcs/548 Essays

Activity theory of aging suggest that when elderly people interact with the community and include activities in their daily routine they are their happiest (Baird, 2011, p. 187). Ariel stated that “everyone need some form of release” (Lemmon, 1995).

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

Late Adulthood is a time in people’s lives when they come to terms with their lives and reevaluate what they have done or accomplished in the lieu of what they still would like to accomplish for the remainder of their lives. During this stage of life adults around the ages of 65 begin to experience a variety of changes in their physical appearance and a decline in their health. The process of aging in an individual occurs at different speeds and during this stage older adults are being treated as second-class citizens especially by younger adults. The skin begins to wrinkle at an

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.

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

All of these activities are positive provisions put in place to help individuals, who according to the activity theory are adjusting to age related changes. These provisions act as a strong positive influence/aid to elderly individuals who are seeking for fulfilled well-being. The outcomes include increased self esteem, satisfaction of participation and feeling like there unselfish goals are being met.

While the physical, emotional and social aspects with aging may be experienced in varying degrees and in a variety of ways, the milestone of retirement is a prospect that is universal in the Western world. In most countries, the idea of retirement is of recent origin, being introduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Previously, low life expectancy and the absence of pension arrangements meant that most workers continued to work until death. Nowadays most developed countries have systems to provide pensions on retirement in old age, which may be sponsored by employers and/or the state. Today, retirement with a pension is considered a right of the worker in many societies. ("Retirement," 2013, p. 1) Retirement is a milestone which, to most, marks the entrance to “old age”, the point at which an individual is socially recognized for their long years of service and permitted to spend the remainder of their “golden years” enjoying the fruits of their labors. While this perspective is an ideal, retirement carries with it a social status that can be both beneficial, when viewed as a reward, and detrimental, when considered by the retiree to be a sign of being obsolete. Preparing for the changes that come with retirement, and in this day and age the inability to

There are two theories of ageing. The disengagement theory is when the elderly unfortunately start to give up with activities or social life. They become withdrawn from society. This is when you disengage from any way of contact or interaction. The reason for disengagement theory may be because physical functions deteriorate. There are three phases of disengagement theory. These are shrinkage of life space is when you are not working or have no contact with friends and family. You don’t get to meet new people. You decide not to take up any hobbies or activities. The second phase is increased individuality. This is when you become independent and what others do does not matter to you. The third phase is acceptance. You start to accept

With the advances in medical care, better health practices, improved nutrition, and other factors help people live longer. As long as older adults are following the correct measures, they can help counter the effects of aging because this stage here most people retire, they need to stay active and keep eating healthy foods. By not living actively can lead to his or her body shutting down, and may also lead to an early death. Many programs are available that older adults can join to

The source of the activity theory lies on the need to stay occupied in actions persists into older life, but the connotation and the focal point alters. Older individuals have the similar requirements, desires, and motivations as with the individuals in their

Allen, S. G., Clark, R. L., & Ghent, L. S. (2004). Phasing into retirement. The Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 58(1), 112-127. Gelfand, D.E., & Bechill, W. (1991, Summer-Fall). The evolution of the older Americans act: a 25-year review of the legislative changes. Generations, 15(3), 19-22. Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (8th ed.). Mason , Ohio: Brooks Cole/Cengage.

Social aging is referring to the changes in individual’s roles and relationship in the society as they age. There are many different theories concerning sociological aging. Social theories on aging examine the relationship between individual experiences and social institutions e.g., aging and retirement; aging and institutional care; aging and government policy etc (Barkan 2012). All have limitations, and some can be considered more than others when attempting to understand social changes in aging. Also individuals move through life surrounded by social support system. Some theories of aging such as, role theory, activity theory, modernization, etc. consist of different ways older adults transition through life such as, networks of relatives, friends, and organization that help provide emotional support and help in managing activities in daily living.

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

As our age moves up in years and we become senior citizens we slowdown in productivity and begin to re-explore life as

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.