The psychological concept describes ageing in terms of the specific changes in behavior, cognitive functions, and roles that occur in an individual undergoing the ageing process.
On the other hand however, the social theories, which would form the crux of this paper, explain how factors such as the prevailing circumstances, available resources, caste systems, social accelerators, etc can either speed up or slow down the process of ageing Troll Over the years, the influence of the society on the ageing phenomena has been obvious, especially as regards the increased number of old people and longer lifespans in developed societies like the United States US , United Kingdom UK , and others.
The relationship between quality of life and its effects on successful ageing is still under extensive study. There have been several theories propounded to explain the concept of ageing, each drawing from a general assumption that late-life changes in particular socio-emotional purviews follow the same downward trend as cognitive development as individuals grow older Troll Six social theories would be examined here, with the first three — continuity, disengagement, and activity — presenting a different pattern of ageing, while the other three emphasize more on the developmental processes that occur in ageing.
Internal continuity connotes the process of forming linkages between new circumstances and the memories left by previous ones Atchley External continuity on the other hand refers to the interaction with familiar people and familiar environments Atchley It focuses on the idea that elderly people tend to ensure familiarity — with their environments, their families, and other situations — as this helps them to continue to be independent.
According to Atchley and Barusch , this continuity in their environments and activities helps the ageing person to concentrate energies on familiar situations, which in the long run helps to minimize and offset the effects of ageing.
The continuity theory does not mean that the individual experiences no change at all, but that the individual adapts to changes with persistent, consistent and familiar attributes and processes that produce less stress Menec The disengagement theory explains that elderly individuals reduce their levels of activity or involvement by withdrawing from previous roles and activities they have been undertaking Atchley This was drawn from an observation that these elderly people hold on to age as being their rationale for withdrawal from activities that were previously found meaningful.
This theory, as shown by Cummings and Henry , assumes that the inward turning typical of ageing individuals leads to a normal and natural withdrawal for social activities, reduction of involvement with other people, and an increasing self-preoccupation.
On the other hand, the activity theory seems to be an alternative view or a direct opposite of the disengagement theory, propounded to explain the psychosocial processes in ageing. According to Havighurst, Neugarten and Tobin , elderly individuals have the same social and psychological needs with middle-aged people, unless inhibited by disability or debilitating disease.
They argue that the changes in activities in old age was due to a change in meaning derived from these activities as seen through the life of the individual. Just like every other individual, the elderly engage in activities due to the benefits derived even though there are different benefits associated with different types of activities Menec However, this theory fails to take into consideration the physical wellness, personality profiles, and the past life of the elders.
Also, the idea that activity is better than inactivity which forms the basis of this theory is seen as a Western sentiment, rather than a proven fact. And again, the activity theory assumes that the value of humans derives from what we do, and know, rather than what we presently are or have been Rowles For the aged, the most relevant is the stage of integrity versus despair in which the elderly person comes to accept the gradual decline of bodily functions, and at the same time reflecting on the multitude of experiences and wisdom acquired over the years Erikson This theory purports that the middle ages, and later maturity are defined by the society with individuals expected to follow particular sequence of roles and progressions as they mature.
One feature of the social theories, as distinct from the other theories of ageing biological and psychological is the ability to explain and give correlations between the individual and societal implications of ageing. The biological and psychological theories examine ageing from an individual perspective, with much focus on what happens in the DNA, cell and mind of the ageing individual.
Also, social theories can explain how individuals experience ageing differently even though almost the same set or sequence of biological processes takes place in almost every one to cause ageing. The relationships between social factors such as economic status; public programs, initiatives and policies; health status; and the strength of social support can be explained by social theories.
P R Pohl Ron Author. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. A short summary of this paper. The social theories attempt to explain how certain people age well.
It takes view that the ageing process is delayed and the quality of life is enhanced an older people remain socially active. The theory predicts that older adults that face role loss will substitute former roles with other alternatives. Modernization theory originated from the ideas of German psychologist Max Webber , which provided the basis for the modernization paradigm developed by Harvard psychologist Talcott Parsons
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