Sociological Theories of Aging

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Sociological Theories of Aging Lecture 7
Chapter 9
There are many ways to grow old Some are better
than others
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Top Grade Ms. Granados 97.5 2.5
100!!!! 2nd Ms. Langeliers 95 2.5 98 3rd
Ms. Lee Mr. Scott 91 2.5 93.5 1st Exam
Mean Score 703 Exam 2 79.53!!!! Good
Job Class!!!! Lets shoot for higher on Exam 3
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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
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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
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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
Social groups
Policy, laws, etc.
www.ssa.gov/retirechartred.htm
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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

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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

A1 any age A2 18 up A3 over 16 A4 any
age
A1 24 up A2 18 up A3 24 A4 23 up
A1 18-40 A2 18-45 A3 24 A4 20-30s
A1 any age A2 70 A3 18 A4 any age
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• Feb. 20, 2006 Janice Wulf
• 62-year-old great-grandmother from Redding, CA
• gave birth to a 6 lb baby boy
• grandmother to 20 and the great-grandmother of 3

http//my.earthlink.net/channel/news/vid/
http//abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sectionlocalid
3920985
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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)

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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.
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New Roles for Women in Retirement
Years Worker Financial Planner
http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7232294
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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

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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."
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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)

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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)

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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!!
 
CSUBs 60 Club

• 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.

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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

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The Meaning of Activity

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

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The Meaning of Activity

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

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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

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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)

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Empirical Evidence AgainstActivity Theory of
Aging

• 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.

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Melillo (1980)

• 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 with relatives/friends/neighbo
  rs) is important for protecting an older adults
  individual sense of well-being and can be
  measured using the perception of time passing
  swiftly

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Melillo (1980)
Melillo (1980)

• interviews with 30 residents of 200-bed,
  non-profit NH.

• Results
• 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

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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

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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
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Disengagement TheoryCummings Henry, 1961

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

• Withdrawal from society
• Decreased interaction

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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
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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

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Disengagement Theory - positives

• People can become more reflective about their
  lives
• People can become less constrained by social
  roles
• People become more discerning about
  relationships, which can help them adjust to
  increasing frequency of serious illness and death
  among their peers

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• 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
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Problems Disengagement Theory

• Supports Ageist attitudes towards older adults
• Little empirical support (physical social
  stress ? disengage)
• Doesnt take into account changing definitions
  aging
• Doesnt take into account variation in
  personalities

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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

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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

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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
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Subculture of Aging (Rose, 1965)

• A theoretical perspective based on the belief
  that people maintain their self-concepts and
  social identities through their membership in a
  defined group (subculture)
• Two significant consequences
• Identification of themselves as old/distant from
  rest of youth-oriented society
• Growing group consciousness that may create
  possibility of political influence and social
  action

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Examples of Subcultures of Aging

• Maggie Kuhn, activist
• Gray Panthers in 1970
• response to her forced retirement at age 65
• worked for social and economic justice
•  

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• Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus
• retired high school
• principal
• founded AARP in 1958
• need of retired teachers for health insurance.

Vision "A society in which everyone ages with
dignity and purpose and in which AARP helps
people fulfill their goals and dreams."
Mission "AARP is dedicated to enhancing quality
of life for all as we age. We lead positive
social change and deliver value to members
through information, advocacy and service."

• 35 million members
• AARP is the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan
  membership organization
• age 50 and over in the US
• informs members and the public on issues
  important to this age group
• Advocating on legislative, consumer and legal
  issues
• Promoting community service
• Offering a wide range of special products and
  services to members

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• must be a woman of 50 or over
• (or may be a Pink Hatter under 50)
• You must attend functions in full regalia
• (red hat, purple outfit, 50 and over, pink hat
  
• lavender outfit under 50)
• NOT wear purple/red until THE BIRTHDAY
• This adds an element of fun to aging, which we
  think is invaluable to women in our society who
  have learned to dread aging and avoid it at all
  costs. We believe that aging should be something
  anticipated with excitement, not something to
  dread.

"The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few
women deciding to greet middle age with verve,
humor and elan. We believe silliness is the
comedy relief of life, and since we are all in it
together, we might as well join red-gloved hands
and go for the gusto together. Underneath the
frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged
by common life experiences and a genuine
enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next."