Chapter 13

What is filial piety?

Deference and respect to one's parents and ancestors in all things (very asian)

How are baby boomers defined?

The cohort born between 1946 and 1964

What is senescence?

Refers to ALL aspects of the aging process

What is thanatology?

The systematic study of death and dying

Conflict perspective on aging

Applied to society's aging population, the principle means that the elderly struggle with other groups—for example, younger society members—to retain a certain share of resources. At some point, this competition may become conflict.

What is the SI theory of gerotranscendence?

The idea that as people age, they transcend the limited views of life they held in earlier times Elderly become less self-centered and feel more peaceful connected to the natural world

13.4

Theoretical perspectives on Aging

What is a cohort and its significance?

A cohort is a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait Understanding a population's age composition can point to certain social and cultural factors and help governments and societies plan for future social and economic challenges.

What is selective optimization w compensation theory?

Baltes and Baltes (1990) based their theory on the idea that successful personal development throughout the life course and subsequent mastery of the challenges associated with everyday life are based on the components of selection, optimization, and compensation. Here, aging is a process, not an outcome and goals (compensation) aer subjective

What are the three theories on aging that fall within functionalism?

Disengagement theory Activity theory Continuity theory

What is the disengagement theory?

Earliest gerontological theory in functionalism Suggests that w/drawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old

Functionalism on Aging

Functionalists find that people with better resources who stay active in other roles adjust better to old age

What is the point of hospice?

Hospice doctors, nurses, and therapists receive special training in the care of the dying. The focus is not on getting better or curing the illness, but on passing out of this life in comfort and peace

What is the subculture of aging theory?

Microanalytical theory that focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups

What is primary aging versus secondary aging?

Primary aging-biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes Secondary aging-aging that occurs due to controllable factors such as lack of physical exercise and poor diet

What is social gerontology?

Specialized field of gerontology that examines social/sociological aspects of aging

What is gerontology?

Study of the process of aging as well as the challenges encountered as seniors grow older

What are the implication of subculture theory?

Suggest tht elders will disengage from society and develop new patterns of interaction with peers who share common backgrounds and interests

What is exchange theory?

Suggest we experience an increased dependence as we age and must increasingly submit to the will of others because we have fewer ways of compelling others to submit to us

Which of the following administrative agencies regulates unfair trade practices and the formation of monopolies that restrain competition?

The Federal Trade comission

What is the dependency ratio?

The number of non productive citizens (young, disabled, elderly to productive working citizens

What is a life course?

The trajectory from period to birth, including a sequence of predictable life event such as physical maturation

With which of the following statements would a sociologist adhering to the disengagement theory most likely disagree?

When workers retire, it means a loss of experienced labor for businesses.

What is gerontocracy?

A social structure in which the power is held by a society's oldest members

What is activity theory?

According to this theory, activity levels and social involvement are key to this process, and key to happiness the more active and involved an elderly person is, the happier he or she will be

What is continuity theory?

According to this, the elderly make specific choices to maintain consistency in internal (personality structure, beliefs) and external structures (relationships), remaining active and involved throughout their elder years. This is an attempt to maintain social equilibrium and stability by making future decisions on the basis of already developed social roles

What is the age stratification theory?

Age stratification theorists were the first to suggest that members of society might be stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender. Because age serves as a basis of social control, different age groups will have varying access to social resources such as political and economic power

What are three classic theories of aging within the conflict perspective?

Modernization Age Stratification Exchange Theory

Symbolic interactionism and aging

Symbolic interactionists stress that the changes associated with old age, in and of themselves, have no inherent meaning. Nothing in the nature of aging creates any particular, defined set of attitudes. Rather, attitudes toward the elderly are rooted in society.

What is grief?

a psychological, emotional, and social response to the feelings of loss that accompanies death or a similar event

What does modernization theory entail

suggests that the primary cause of the elderly losing power and influence in society are the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization. The central reasoning of modernization theory is that as long as the extended family is the standard family, as in preindustrial economies, elders will have a place in society and a clearly defined role. As societies modernize, the elderly, unable to work outside of the home, have less to offer economically and are seen as a burden