Midterm Flashcards
Social Structure
A relatively stable pattern of social interactions
Gerontology
The discipline that systematically studies aging
Prejudice
Being biased against someone or something; a negative judgement formed beforehand without knowledge of the facts.
Discrimination
Unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice
Stereotypes
An exaggerated and often prejudiced view of a type of person or group of people
Elderspeak
Simplified speech like baby talk that some people use when they speak to older people; it stems from stereotyping older people as slow-witted
Ageism
Prejudice against older people
Anti-Aging Industry
The multibillion dollar worldwide market for products that claim to reduce or reverse the effects of aging.
Intergenerational Equity
A call for balanced support of older and younger people through public policy and public expenditures
Society For All Ages
Promotes the well being and contributions of older people in all aspects of life, recognizes their valuable contributions, and reflects the goals of elimination of ageism of all sectors; a society for all ages has five core principles: dignity, independence, participation, fairness and security.
Social Gerontology
A subfield within the wider field of gerontology; it focuses on the social side of aging, while other subfields study the physical and biological aspects of aging.
Micro Level Theories
Focus on individuals and their interactions; they are used to explain phoneme such as the relationship between adult children and their parents, changes in memory with age, and the effect of negative attitudes on older people’s self-esteem.
Macro Level Theories
Examine social structures or structural elements as they influence experiences and behaviours
Interpretive Perspective
Focuses almost exclusively on the micro level of social life; it looks at how people define situations, how they create social order, and how they relate to one another in daily life.
Functionalist Perspective
Holds that social order is based on consensus, cooperation, and shared norms and values, and that all parts of society serve a role or function to keep society in a state of balance or equilibrium; structural functionalism predicts that when social change, society will attempt to create an orderly transition to a new, stable state.
Positivist Worldview
Based on the belief that knowledge is built by studying observable facts and their relationship to one another.
Age Stratification Theory
Focuses on the movement of age cohorts over the life course and on “the role of social structures in the process of individual aging and the stratification by age in the society”
Age Cohort
A group of people born in the same period of time
Age Grades
A concept used in age stratification theory to describe periods of life defined by society, such as childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
Life Course Perspective
A functionalist approach that bridges the micro and macro levels of analysis by incorporating social interaction and social structure within its framework; begins with the idea that life unfolds from birth to death in a social, cultural, and historical context; looks at the impact of social institutions, historical periods and events, personal biography, life cycle stage, life events and resources on the older person
Transitions
Changes in social status or social roles
Trajectories
Long term patterns of stability and change that often include many transitions
Non Normative Events
Unexpected events such as illness, layoffs and accidents
Normative History Graded Events
Shape the lives of many age cohorts, such as The Great Depression of the 1930s or World War 2