Why Is Aging Important?

I would define aging as a natural degradation of the body over time. It’s when the cells in the body start to whither away. I think aging could potentially be curable but at this time we do not have advanced enough technology to do so. The side effects to trying to cure someone of ageing could be unpredictable. A lot of people might be against ageing research because it goes against their religious beliefs. I believe if we did find a way to cure ageing that overpopulation would become a serious issue. I think ageing research is helpful in some circumstances. Not for necessary living forever, but for living long healthy lives like discussed in the article. I also support ageing research for cosmetic reasons. If scientists found a way to stop

Gerontology as a field of scientific study can be traced back to the late 1800s; a time when research primarily focused on the negative attributes of aging, such as health decline. It wasn 't until the introduction of social gerontology in 1983 that researchers began to more rigorously study the psychological and social aspects of aging. In recognizing that “successful aging depends not just on the prevention of disease and disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning,” (Quadagno,

The humanity of aging is a concept sometimes hard to grasp. Understanding why we are

Aging is a part of our life that the majority of us do not want, but it will happen regardless of what we do. When we are a little kid, all we want to do is grow up and be a big kid. When we become older we realize that wish we never said that, and seem to wish that we could go back in time. We always miss when we were younger, when we could be childish, do stupid things, and people would not think us to be weird. Then, they thought it was adorable, seeing a little kid doing stupid and funny things. Being a kid gives a sense of freedom; we have no burden thinking about school grades, or if we are going to pass the class. On the other hand, as a college student, there are so many things to do such as assignments, homework, quizzes, exams, and maintaining grades, but as we get older we become more responsible. Aging is inevitable and all that matters is what will we do with that time. If we waste it then we will not be happy with how our life turned out and we will keep saying, “wish we could go back”. In Mitch Albom’s biography, Tuesday with Morrie, Morrie Schwartz had a better perspective on aging and embracing his age: "It’s very simple. As you grow, you learn more… Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth” (Albom 118); certainly, popular culture tends to fear aging and even avoid the concept altogether, as indicated by Schwartz’s protégé, Mitch, who side-stepped his own age the closer he came to “forty,” for fear of “professional oblivion” (Albom 117). Those who wish

Growth and development is an essential part of the life cycle, which leads to the occurrence of different phases like childhood, teenage and late adulthood. Aging is the period which is characterized by the onset of personal, cognitive and social changes. They feel hard to adjust the changes. Like rest of the world, the US also falls in the list of countries which have the highest population of elderly people. According to the Population Reference Bureau report, Americans ages 65 and older has projected to increase more than double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24 percent from 15 percent (Mark Mather). The

In the past one hundred years, the human life expectancy has increased by thirty years. This trend continues to rise (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2018). As a direct result, the amount of elderly people in our society will also rise. At first glance, this may seem like a positive growth in our society. However, when taking a second look, you come to realize that with such a positive trend comes a negative trend: the growth of ageism.

The main discussion of the article focuses on the topic of whether aging is a

As a result of the mentor experience, my initial understanding of aging prior to the mentor experience changed. Initially, my understanding of aging what that it was an ongoing process of growth that can be denoted through the physical deterioration of the body. The body grows old, skin wrinkles, muscles shrink, and the bones weaken. However, this is not the only consequence of aging. Aging provides a new outlook on life and builds the spirit when reflecting on a life well-lived. Often times, aging is given a negative connotation when in reality it is a beneficial and positive process that leads to emotional, mental, and social growth. Consequently, one’s perspective of aging ultimately depends on their environments as well as their mediators.

At age eighteen is when a person is considered an adult and they get privileges and responsibilities when they come of age. They have more freedom because they’re not living under their parents rule. However, they must get a job and find their own place to call home. They have the privilege to vote. In result of this, you must serve jury duty if asked to. Also, you have to sign up to be drafted for the military because it’s your duty to the country. In addition, you must pay bills. This includes water, gas, electricity, house rent, and possibly college fees. Therefore, when you become an adult you get responsibilities and privileges.

Ory and her colleagues then introduce the topic of aging and stereotypes to their readers. They discuss the different types of ageism and compare ageism to sexism and racism. The stereotypes about older people being useless, crazy, or sick are discussed more and refuted in the Macarthur Foundation Study on Successful Aging, Rowe and Kahn. The pair discusses 6 myths of aging, which range from the elderly constantly being sick, learning impaired, to having a dull sex life. The pair then discusses the reality of the previously listed myths. Contrary to the “To be old is to be sick” myth, Rowe and Khan explain that the elderly are able to function and complete everyday tasks until they are very old (Ory, 165). They then explain how it is, in fact possible to “Teach an old dog new tricks” because the human brain never stops learning, this myth goes hand in hand with “The horse is out of the barn” myth, which also explains how the elderly can learn and adopt new behaviors easily. Myth number 4 “The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely” is one of the most ridiculous. Rowe and Kahn explain that a person’s health is not all determined by genetics. Although genetics has a part in determining a person’s characteristics, a person can change their characteristics through the use of epigenetics, by adopting healthy lifestyles and behaviors. Rowe and Kahn they go on to explain sexual functioning through the myth “The lights may be on, but the

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

As aging is a stage of development that cannot prevented, the question of “can one’s aging be more successful than another?” is posed my many. Researchers continually consider the differences between aging successfully, and aging unsuccessfully. As researchers work to complete their studies, many find a reoccurring basis of successful aging. A basis of successful aging can be set including: physical health disease free, chronic illness free, mental health disease free, among many others. The only problem with this basis is the difference from person to person in terms of what makes aging successful. As individuals age, their mental state is a large predictor of how the person will age. A positive mental state about aging, will have a more positive effect on a person’s aging process. Many factors may influence the positivity of aging, such as negative aging stereotypes and discrimination because of older age. These negative aging stereotypes include but are not limited to: older adults are not as smart, older adults are angry all the time, older adults are bad drivers, older adults are isolated and never socialize. In adult aging and development, having a positive outlook on aging will lead to better mental and physical aging.

Aging is a natural progress of life. It is one of the few things in this world that no one can escape, everyone will continue to grow older. Gerontology is the study of aging by viewing different perspectives of aging including physical aging, psychological aging, social aging, and societal aging. Gerontology also examined the social construction and different perspectives of aging. It is an important field because it helps us understand the process of aging and demonstrate how it is being viewed in our society. The studying of aging reveals the impact of the aging generation in the present and future.

Knowing and having an understanding of what ageing stands for, remains an important step, growing-up or growing older and ageism are theories about older individuals. Ageism includes preconceptions that elderly are categorized for their age and perceived as weak, and incapable of performing tasks and needy of others (Quadagno, 2014). Another view about elderly individuals is the way they are looked down on by the younger society, i.e. elderly are not as intelligent as their younger competitive working force. People fear what they do not know and do not understand. Age transpires as something that must be lived through in order to understand what ageing means; looking back on one’s life and seeing accomplishments made,

Successful aging can be defined in many different ways. Throughout the semester we have talked about many different aspects of aging that help define the success within the process. We have discussed the neurosciences of aging, the physical changes associated with aging, the longevity and intelligence of individuals in relation to their life and abilities while aging, how relationships and work can change as one ages, and how aging affects ones personality. After reading Childhood Misfortune as a Threat to Successful Aging: Avoiding Disease and Successful Aging and Well-Being: Self-Rated Compared With Rowe and Kahn, I have a better understanding of the objective and subjective view of aging in relation to childhood factors.