UNIT 4
TASK 3
(P4, M2, D2)
P4
The activity theory of aging proposes that older adults are happier when they stay active and maintain social interactions.
The activity theory occurs when individuals engage in a full day of activities and maintain a level of productivity to age successfully. The activity theory basically says: the more you do, the better you will age.
People who remain active and engaged tend to be happier, healthier, and more in touch with what is going on around them. Same goes for people of any age.
Often, the activity theory is dismissed to some degree because it falls a little flat. It isn't sufficient to just be busy, like the definition says. You can't wake up every day and do the same thing like riding a stationary bike, and expect to age well. This theory was taken and used by many program designers for the elderly, who filled older people schedules with busy work and required them to complete tasks. A heightened level of activity is needed, but it needs to be engaging and fulfilling, rather than just busy work.
Education Portal (2014)` Psychosocial Theories of Aging: Activity Theory, Continuity Theory & Disengagement Theory´ Activity Theory
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/psychosocial-theories-of-aging-activity-theory-continuity-theory-disengagement-theory.html#lesson [9/12/2014]
The disengagement theory of aging states that "aging is an inevitable, mutual withdrawal or disengagement, resulting in decreased interaction between the aging person and others in the social system he belongs to."
These theory claims that elderly people begin to systematically free themselves from their earlier social roles as they realize the inevitability of death in the near future. The theory further suggests that society responds to the elder's disengagement with a type of mutual acknowledgment that the elder will soon pass away and society must prepare to function in their absence. As such, the theory argues that...