Transcript THEORIES IN GERONTOLOGY

THEORIES IN GERONTOLOGY:
EARLY THEORIES
Dr. M. C. Sengstock
SOC 5760 – Society & Aging
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5 PHASES OF THEORY IN
GERONTOLOGY
1. Pre 1960: Problems Approach; No Theories
2. 1960s: Early Theory:
Disengagement – Activity – Subculture of Aging
3. 1970s: 2nd Generation Theories
Age Stratification – Personality Continuity
4. 1980s & Later: Emergent Theories
Focus on Contextual & Structural Arrangements
5. More Recent Theories:
Greater Focus on Theories from Individual Disciplines
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SOCIAL THEORIES OF AGING:
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THEORY?
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Organize What Is Known About a Topic
Propose Explanations for Data Observed
Suggest Hypotheses
Predict Future Findings
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EARLY THEORIES IN GERONTOLOGY
• Focused On Role Theory (Applicable to Nearly
Everything!)
• ROLE: The Activities Required by Statuses (Social
Positions)
• COMPONENTS: Role Expectations (Norms), Role
Socialization, Role Changes, Role Discontinuity (Esp.
in Times of Transition)
• Early Gerontology Theory Focused on the Way Roles
Were Assigned & Developed
• Also on the Way They Had to Change As People
Reached Old Age
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DISENGAGEMENT THEORY
• Cummings & Henry, 1961
• Kansas City Study of 275 Persons 50-90 Yrs Old
• NOTE: Discussion in Text (Hooyman & Kiyak)
Is Rather Sterile
• Disengagement Very Influential At That Time
• Was the Basis of Much Social Policy
• Focused Primarily On LOSS of ROLES As People
Grew Old
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TENETS OF DISENGAGEMENT
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Old Age Is Period of Mutual Withdrawal
Aged Withdraw From Society & Reverse
From Work, Family, Friends, All Institutions
MUTUAL Separation From PEOPLE & ROLES
Society Pushes Them Out
– Get Rid of Them & Make Room For Young
• Aged WANT to Withdraw
– They Know They Are Less Able & Face Imminent Death
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DISENGAGEMENT (ctd)
• NORMATIVE Withdrawal Accompanies & Follows
Actual Withdrawal
• As Elderly Become Separated From Society, They
Are Less Controlled By It
• They Follow Their Own Rules
• They Become Even More Separated
• This is What Is Meant By “DISENGAGED”
• “Gerotranscendance Theory”: Old Focus More on
Self-Development Than Rational, Economical
View of the World
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CONSEQUENCES OF DISENGAGEMENT
• Poor Adjustment to Old Age May Occur
• Due to LACK OF SYNCHRONIZATION Between
Society’s & Individual’s Disengagement
• One Side – Usually the Individual – Is Behind the
Other in Withdrawing
• Reengagement Occurs If New Skills Learned
• Low Morale Occurs if Pattern Does Not “Fit”
• Men’s Disengagement More Sudden: Work Roles
Cease More Suddenly Than Women’s Home Roles
- Remember: This is the ’60s – Women Didn’t Work
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DISENGAGEMENT:
RECOMMENDATIONS & CRITIQUE
• Solution To Old Age Problems: Encourage Aged to
Withdraw
• CRITICISMS: Theory Suggests:
• Withdrawal Is Inevitable
• Withdrawal Is Functional for Both
• Fails to Consider Individual Personal Factors of
Aged Persons
• All Elderly Do NOT Want To Withdraw – Nor Do
Their Families & Friends Want Them To
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CUMMINGS & HENRY’S RESPONSE
• Distinguished Between Appearance & Reality
• Old People Are Really Disengaged – Even If
They Don’t Look Like It
• Recognized Physical/Psychological Differences
• “Impingers” (Activist, Assertive People)
Disengage Slower Than “Selectors” (Passive)
• Women Socialized to Change Roles Easier
Than Men So They Adapt Better
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CUMMINGS & HENRY RESPONSE (ctd)
• Disengagement Is Part of “Increasing
Interiority” – Emphasis on Self vs. Other
• This Occurs Throughout Life
• Some People Are More Disposed to Interiority
(Introverts)
• They Will Disengage Faster Than Extroverts
• This Leads to a More “Developmental Psych”
Approach – Moving Through Life Stages
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ACTIVITY “PERSPECTIVE”
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Havighurst & Albrecht, 1953; Maddox, 1970
Not Developed Enough For a Real Theory
Also Focused on ROLE LOSS of Old Age
Attempted to “Turn It Around”
4 Essential Postulates:
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Role Loss Is Related to Loss of Activity
Role Support Is Related to Activity
Stable Role Support Produces Stable Self Concept
Positive Self Concept Produces Life Satisfaction
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ACTIVITY PERSPECTIVE (ctd)
• “Activities” Are Parts of Roles
• Activities Increase Through Child & Adult Life
• Individual’s Self Concept Receives Validation
Through Successful Activity Performance
• With Old Age – Activities Decrease
• To Maintain High Morale  New Activities
Must Be Adopted
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COMPARING THE THEORIES
• DISENGAGEMENT THEORY:
• Old Must Learn to GIVE UP Roles, Activities
• ACTIVITIES THEORY:
• Old Must Learn to DEVELOP New Roles,
Activities
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CONSEQUENCES OF ACTIVITY THEORY
• Suggests Disengagement Occurs Only for the
Very Old
• For Most Older People, Increased Activity Is
Necessary for High Morale
• Suggested That “Activities” Should Be Created
for Older People to Provide Them New Things
to Do – & Lead to Higher Morale
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CRITICISM OF ACTIVITY THEORY
• Does Not Deal With Social Value of Activities
• Will Any Old, Meaningless, Time-Consuming
Activities Do?
• Many “Activities” Were Meaningless (Nursing
Homes Made Bread Wrapper Placemats)
• May Have a Middle Class Bias: Assumes
Everyone Must Always Do Something “Useful”
• Importance of Leisure – Old People May Have
a Right & Desire for Leisure!
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SUBCULTURE OF AGING THEORY
• Sociological Theory (A.Rose, 1965; J.Gubrium)
• NOTE: “Subculture” Does NOT Refer to a Less
Valuable Culture
• It Refers to a Culture Practiced By A Smaller
Segment Than the Population As a Whole
• Sees Close Relationship Between:
Roles – Social Identity – Self Concept
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SUBCULTURE OF AGING (ctd)
• A Distinctive AGED SUBCULTURE Develops:
• Aged Interact More With Each Other Than
Younger People
• Demographic Changes Produced Many Old
• Older People Are Targets of Discrimination
• Older People Live Together in “Aged Ghettos”
• Social Agencies Serving Elderly Promote It!
• EX of Aged Subcultures:
– FL Retirement Communities: Juvenile-Style Crime
– Mesa, AZ Laws Against Children, Schools
– 55 Yr Olds Aspiring to Retirement Community Living
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PARTICIPATION IN AGED SUBCULTURE
An Aged Person’s Participation in the “Aged
Subculture” Is Dependent Upon:
• Solidarity of the Age Group
• Number of Aged Organizations, Their Strength
• Number of Aged IN vs. NOT in Aged Groups
– I.e., Who Associate More With Family, Friends
– Are More Isolated From the Aged Community
• SUM: Elderly In Retirement Communities – Part
of Aged Subculture
• Those in General Communities – Probably NOT
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AGED SUBCULTURE:
SUMMARY & CRITIQUE
• SUM: There Will Be An Aged Subculture If
Most Elderly Spend Most of Their Time With
Old People & Little Time With Younger People
(Family, Neighborhood, Church, Work)
• QUESTIONS: Is There Really An Aged
Subculture?
• Does It Apply to All Aged?
• Which Is Better:
• Strong Aged Subculture? Or Weak One?
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AGE STEROTYPING
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Concept Related to Aged Subculture Theory
Over-Simplified Generalizations About Aged
Often Accepted By Young, Middle-Aged
Often Accepted By Old As Well
EX: Old-Fashioned; Fussy; Forgetful; Senile;
Crotchety; Demanding; Asexual; Radically
Different From Younger Persons; Men Upset
By Retirement; Women By Children Leaving
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CONSEQUENCES OF STEREOTYPES
• Complaints By Elderly Are Often Dismissed As
Results of Normal Aging or Examples of Old
People Constantly Complaining
• Are Stereotypes Accurate? For Whom?
• Who Fares Best?
• Wealthy: Comfortable: Age a Pleasant Surprise
• Poor: Aging Is As Portrayed: Little Money,
Poor Health, Left Out of Things
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IMPACT OF METHODOLOGY
• These Theories Probably Resulted From
Methodological Patterns
• Early Research Done on Institutionalized Aged
• Easy to Access for Study Subjects
• Different From Community Dwelling Aged …
• Who Are NOT Separated From Community As
a Whole
• Who Interact a Lot With Younger People
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AGE STRATIFICATION THEORY
• A 2nd GENERATION THEORY
• Shifted Attention from the Individual Roles
Approach
• Focused More on Broader Social Structure
• Sociological Theory
• Matilda White Riley, et al, 1972; Dowd, 1980
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AGE STRATIFICATION THEORY (ctd)
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Structural Components:
Same Variables As Any Stratification System:
Socio-Economic Status (SES); Ethnic Minorities
Age Strata: All Societies Have Age Subgroups
Size & Composition Varies With the Society
Each Stratum Differs in Terms of:
– Physical, Psychological, Social Conditions
• Results in Age-Related Capacities
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AGE-RELATED ROLES
• Roles Are Patterned/Distributed Based on Age
– Directly: Women’s Age Determines Pregnancy
– Indirectly: Rules Determine Entry Into School
– Generally Roles Are Distributed By Age
• Parents of Preschoolers; Retirees
• Age-Related Expectations:
– People of Different Ages Play Roles Differently
– Partly Due to Physical Ability
– Partly Due to Experience, Knowledge
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PROCESS COMPONENTS
IN AGE STRATA
Cohort Flow:
• Each Cohort Begins, Passes Through, & Ends
Under Different Conditions
Aging:
• Each Cohort Changes Physiologically & In
Gaining Knowledge
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INTERVENING VARIABLES
IN AGE STRATA
• Allocation: Processes of Assigning &
Reassigning People of Various Ages to
Appropriate Roles
– Adoption; Becoming Executive or Stock Clerk;
Certain Jobs Only Available to College Grads, etc.
• Socialization: Socializing Agencies Training
People for New Roles At Each Stage
– EX: Schools; Religious Organizations; Company
OJT; Retirement Preparation Seminars
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EXTERNAL FACTORS
IMPACTING ON AGE STRATA
• Outside Events: Events Which Play a Role or
Impact on the Process – Without Anyone
Being Able to Control It – EX:
– Level of Industrialization; Numbers of
Men/Women in Cohort
– Economic Factors: Recession; Changes in 401K
Plans; Madoff’s Scam
• Outside Factors Affect the Way the Age
System/ Strata Operate At a Given Time
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PROBLEM OF AGE STRATA:
STRUCTURAL LAG
• Strata Patterns Lag Behind – No Longer Apply
EX: Rules Require Mandatory Retirement @ 65
But Many Workers Cannot Afford to Retire:
– Union Supported Retirement Plans Eliminated
– Would-Be Retirees Caring for Very Elderly Parents
– Harvard Care Plan: Force Women to Stay Home
• Needs of Society &/or Individual Not Met
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CONTRIBUTION OF
AGE STRAFICATION THEORY
Major Contribution: Its Research Methodology
COHORT ANALYSIS: Comparing Effects of:
• Aging: Physical Process of Growing Older
• Period: Historical Period of Aging Process
• Cohort: Generation Going Through It Together
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PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
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From Developmental Psychology
“Life Course Theory”
Views Aging As One Stage in Life Course
See Changes Occurring Throughout Life
Many Different Stages (Including Elder Care)
Life Course “Capital” Plays a Role:
– Assets/Liabilities Developed Through Life
Experiences
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PERSONALITY CONTINUITY THEORY
• Basic Tenet: As We Age, We Basically
Continue As We Were Before
• No Major Changes As a Result of Growing Old
– Barring Major Physical Change – EX: Stroke
• Early Research Goal: Obtain Evidence of the
“Mid-Life Crisis” & When It Occurred
Paul Costa, PhD. Former Chief of Personality &
Cognition Studies, Institute on Aging
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COSTA’S STUDY OF MID-LIFE CRISIS
• 25 Year Longitudinal Study of Military Men
• Phase I: Personality Test Taken in 1944 in
Their 20s (Test A)
• Phase II: Same Test Taken 25 Years Later
(1969) – 2 Parts:
– Test B: Answer As You Think You Would Have
Answered It 25 Years Ago
– Test C: Answer As You Would Answer It Today
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RESULTS OF COSTA’S STUDY
• 3 Personality Tests Compared:
1944 Score; 1969 Est. of 1944 Score; 1969 Score
• Great Similarity Between 1944 & 1969 Scores
• Less Similarity: 1944 Score & Estimate of 1944
• Conclusion: If You Want to Know What You
Were Like 25 Years Ago – Look at Self Today!
• Memories Are Notoriously Inaccurate!
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CONCLUSIONS OF PERSONALITY
CONTINUITY THEORY
• Our Personalities Are Pretty Well Set By Time
We Are About 25 (Younger for Non-College)
• Pictures of Elderly as Crotchety, Hard to Get
Along With Are Inaccurate (Absent Brain Trauma)
• Crabby Elderly Probably Were Crabby In
Youth, Middle Age
• People Easy to Get Along With In Youth,
Middle Age – Stay That Way
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NEXT SECTION
Will Discuss Major
Sociological Approaches
to Aging
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