Sociological%20Theories%20of%20Aging

1
Sociological Theories of Aging Lecture 7
Chapter 9
There are many ways to grow old Some are better
than others
2
Sociological Theories ? the roles and social
habits of individuals in society Explanation of
the changes in social relationships that occurs
in late adulthood
Optimal way for older adults to relate to their
environment What determines successful aging
3
Role Theory (Cottrell, 1942)

• Individuals play variety of social roles in their
  lifetimes how many roles do you have?
• Such roles identify and describe a person as a
  social being and are the basis of self-concept
• How well individuals adjust to aging is assumed
  to depend on how well they accept the role
  changes typical of later years

Successful Aging
4
Role Theory

• Roles change during the life span
• Successful aging depends on how well individuals
  accept changing roles

Age Grading Using age as a criterion to decide
what role is appropriate
Formally Expressed
Informally Expressed
Age Norms Beliefs that a person ought to act a
certain way
Policy, laws, etc.
Social groups Family Friends
www.ssa.gov/retirechartred.htm
5
Normative Timetables
Role Theory

• All of us carry around a system of temporal
  reckoning

• Every society conveys age norms ? individuals
  learn to perform new roles, adjust to changing
  roles, relinquish old ones, and thereby become
  integrated into society

6
Normative Timetable for Major Roles
Complete high school Begin college
Children leave home
Career Building Child Rearing
Marriage
Grandparenthood
First Child
Retirement

• 24 F 24-35
  45-56 65
• 26 M

Are the roles unidirectional ?
7

• Feb. 20, 2006 Janice Wulf
• 62-year-old great-grandmother from Redding, CA
• gave birth to a 6 lb baby boy (Adam)
• grandmother to 20 and the great-grandmother of 3

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11451753
8
Older adults must deal with role losses these
can lead to an erosion of social identity and
self-esteem

• Basic Roles
• (dependence)
• Child
• Friend
• Student
• Worker
• Spouse
• Parent
• Grandparent
• (dependence)

9
Types of Social Structures
Age differentiated
Age Integrated
Age
Leisure
Old
Work
Middle
Education
Work
Leisure
Education
Young
Source Riley, M.W. Riley, J.W. 2000 Age
Integration Conceptual and Historical
Background. The Gerontologist, 40, 266-70.
10
New Roles for Women in Retirement
Years Worker Financial Planner
http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7232294
11
Activity TheoryHavighurst Colleagues, 1963

• The more activity older adults engage in, the
  greater the life satisfaction.
• Self concept is related to roles then previous
  roles must be replaced with new ones to remain
  active
• Older adults deny the existence of
• old age fight the aging process

12
Activity Theory of Aging

• Attempted to answer how older adults adjust to
  age-related changes, such as retirement, poor
  health, and role loss.step further then role
  theory
• Based on Robert Havighursts analyses of the
  Kansas City Studies of Adult Life (1963, 1968)

Activity Satisfaction
13
Statistics for the increase come from the
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic

• 65 yrs older
• 121,000 in 1997
• more than 425,000 in 2001

Gladie Sargeant eye-lift, a face-lift, a nose
job, and a chemical peel "I was so excited I
couldn't wait to do it. As they were wheeling me
down to the O.R. I said to myself, 'Boy this is
the greatest adventure of my life.'"
Plastic surgeon Dr. Sheldon Sevinor specializes
in nipping and tucking older adults.

• surgical techniques modified
• face-lift/thinning hair the incisions placed to
  better camouflage the scars
• may choose to have earlobes reduced at the same
  time
• Longer recovery
• tummy tucks- elasticity issues
• eye lid less tissue removal, dry eye

Recovery took almost three weeks. But she says
she'd do it all again -- in a heartbeat. "I'd say
to everyone -- go for it. Anyone who wants it,
you go for it. It's like traveling. You do it as
long as you're able."
14
Worlds Oldest Marathoner, 94, Leads Team of
Seniors in Scotland

• June 13, 2005 (Scotland)
• Fauja Singh
• oldest ever marathon relay team
• five-man team named Sikhs in the City
• combined age of 397 years
• came in 730th of the 912 teams (4hr 16min 24sec)

15
The 60 Fight SongTune The Sheik CSU were
here for youTo help with what you do.Doré, the
gym, the roseThe birds, the crowds, who
knows? Having fun, we learn, we shineWe sing,
we laugh, we dine.Despite the freeze, the
fry,Were young until we die. (second-half
music, Gilbert Sullivan style) Were not idle
conversation,Nor afraid of perspirationEducatio
n, recreation, in this sectionOf the
nation.Sixty-plusll cut the mustard,And were
never, ever flustered.Were young until we die!!
 

• founded in 1986
• partnership between the university
• community of retired persons
• Member-motivated member governed
• Purpose
• provide personal enrichment,
• educational opportunities,
• volunteer challenges, and
• social activities in a campus
• environment utilizing the
• resources of the university
• and experience of its
• members.
• There are no educational requirements to join and
  participation in club activities is voluntary.
  The interest groups meet at various locations and
  different times of the month throughout the
  academic year.

CSUBs 60 Club
16
George Brunstad Conquers English Channel at 70

• Aug. 30, 2004
• George Brunstad
• oldest person to swim the English Channel
• raised 11,000 for an orphanage in Haiti
• completed the 21 mi. in 15 hrs and 59 min

17
The Meaning of Activity

• Everyone looks for meaning in liferight?
• Activities that people do are made meaningful
  based on their values and cultural backgrounds.
• The environment/context in which an activity
  takes place also adds meaning to the activity in
  question.

• Outcomes of engaging in activity also impact
  meaning for example
• Satisfaction of participant
• Increased Self-esteem
• Pragmatic (getting the job done)
• Altruistic goal met

18
Activity Theory

• the well-adjusted older adult ? takes on larger
  s and variety of productive roles through
  activities in voluntary work, churches, leisure
  organizations
• The more active, the greater life satisfaction,
  positive self-concept, and adjustment in late-life

19
Empirical Support

• Positive Correlation between activity life
  satisfaction (LS)
• (Lemon et al., 1972 just activity with
  friends Knapps et al., 1977 of hrs spent
  with friends LS)
• Negative Correlation between activity life
  satisfaction
• (Knapps et al., 1977 formal activity)

20
Empirical Evidence Against Activity Theory

• Melillo, K.D. (1980). Informal activity
  involvement and
• the perceived rate of time passage for an older
  institutionalized
• population, Journal of Gerontological Nursing,
  6(7), 392-397.

Hypothesis positive relationship between of
hrs of informal activity involvement and the
perception of time passing swiftly among an older
institutionalized population.
Rationale Involvement in meaningful informal
activity (social interaction relatives/ friends/
neighbors) is important for protecting an older
adults individual sense of well-being and can be
measured using the perception of time passing
swiftly
Results (N30 residents of 200-bed,
non-profit NH)
failed to support the hypothesis of a swifter
perceived rate of time passage for
institutionalized subjects involved in planned
activity involvement of an informal nature
21
Melillo (1980)

• What happen? Implications for institutionalized
• Captive AudienceInformal activity instigated by
  staff, family, or peer insistencenot something
  they really wanted to soconflict may present
  itself in a slower perceived rate of time passage
• Allowing individual choices related to all
  aspects of health care essential, including
  activity programs

22
whats the major problem with activity theory?
Differences in personality Differences in
physical function Just want to do nothing!
Control over social situationSocioeconomic
effectsCultural effects
23
Disengagement TheoryCummings Henry, 1961

• older adults withdraw from participation in
  activity
• elders disengage emotionally from others and
  from events

• Withdrawal from society
• Decreased interaction

24
Disengagement Theory

• aging is an inevitable, mutual withdrawal or
  disengagement, resulting in decreased interaction
  between the aging person and others in the social
  system he/she belongs to.

Beneficial for both the aging individual and
society that such disengagement takes place in
order to minimize the social disruption caused at
an aging person's eventual death
25
Disengagement Theory
Older people decrease their activity levels, seek
more passive roles, interact less frequently with
others, and become increasingly preoccupied with
their inner lives thus, disengagement viewed as
adaptive behavior
Positive
Negative

• More reflective about life
• Less constrained by social
• roles
• More discerning about
• relationships can help them
• adjust to increasing frequency
• of serious illness/death among
• peers

• Supports Ageist attitudes
• Little empirical support (physical social
  stress ? disengage)
• Doesnt take into account variation in
  personalities

26

• Carl Gustav Jung (1875 1961)
• Swiss Psychiatrist
• extroverted and introverted personality,
  archetypes,
• and the collective unconscious
• Older persons have a duty and a necessity to
  devote
• serious attention to themselves ? find meaning
  in
• inner exploration and the afterlife

After having lavished its light upon the world
the sun withdraws its rays in order to illuminate
itself
27
Continuity TheoryAtchley, 1989

• Shortcomings with other theories led to
• Substitutes similar roles for lost ones
• Continue to maintain similar adaptation
  strategies
• As we age we become more of what we were
• Past HX counts - basic personality, attitudes,
  and behaviors remain constant throughout the life
  span
• Each person provides their own standard for
  successful aging

28
Continuity Theory

• Elders attempt to continue with important
  activities
• Elders perceive activities as continuous
• Successful aging is characterized by how much
• continuity the elder has with activities

• 3 general categories of continuity (Atchley,
  1989)
• Too little unpredictable
• Optimum pace of change is consistent with
  personal preferences
• social demands in line with capacity to
  cope with change
• 3. Too much too predictable

29
Continuity Theory (Atchley) Intuitive
appeal Problems with Theory????
Differences in personality Differences in
physical function just want to do nothing!
Control over social situationSocioeconomic
effectsCultural effects