Exam 2 Flashcards
(383 cards)
Why use social theories?
- Help us understand and explain changes in social relationships and systems that occur in late adulthood
- Provide basis for examining primary dimensions of age
- Serve as guide for further inquiry and suggest possible practice and policy interventions
The importance of social theory
- Many people make positive or negative assumptions on basis of chronological age
- Some stereotypes may be result of unconscious theorizing about the meaning of growing older
- Theory development is systematic attempt to explain why and how age-associated change or events occur
Theory building
Cumulative development of explaining and understanding observations and findings
Theory building represents what?
the core of the foundation of scientific inquiry and knowledge
Theory building understands what?
Understand phenomena in a manner that is reliable and valid across observations
Theories are never proven or disproven, they are what?
strengthened or weakened
Social theories are less well developed compared to what?
biological frameworks
Social theories are gathered through what kind of research?
qualitative and quantitative
Social theories lead to accumulation of knowledge and point to unanswered questions that may require what?
further research
Biological theories are useful in what?
guiding people’s health behaviors and lifestyle choices, as well as designing health services and policies…however they do not encompass all the reasons that people age and behave the way they do
Early social gerontology theories attempted to solve problems facing older people rather than what
explain social phenomena
There has been a shift from a focus on the objective and measurable problems of old age to more attention to the what
interactive process that affects aging, subjective meaning, and personal experiences.
Social Gerontology Theories before 1961
role theory
activity theory
disengagement theory
continuity theory
Social Gerontology Theories before 1961 emphasized what
the consequences of role loss with age and how and individuals personal characteristics affected adjustments to these changes
People have self-concept and self-worth based on what
the roles we identify
Roles can be associated with ages and stages in life
ages and stages in life
Role theory
a. We all play a variety of social roles across a lifespan
b. Each role is typically associated with a certain age or stage of life
c. Losing any of these roles can affect our well-being and opportunities to enjoy active aging
How well individuals adjust to aging depends on what
how they accept their “typical” role changes that occur during later years
Chronological age – often used to sort
range of norms, expectations and roles
Age norms
assumptions we all make about age-related capacities and limitations – beliefs that a person of a given age can and ought to do certain things
Ages alters not only the roles anticipated of people, but what else?
the manner in which they are expected to play them
how may role losses impact someone?
may erode a person’s sense of identity and self-esteem
The activity theory tries to answer what question
how individuals adjust to age-related changes such as retirement, chronic illness, and role loss
The activity theory defines aging as what
a social problem that can be addressed by trying to retain the status, roles, and behaviors similar to those of earlier life stages
- remain active!