P4: Explain two theories on ageing.

P4: Explain two theories on ageing.

Social disengagement:

In 1961, the first theory of ageing was formulated by Cumming and Henry. According to them “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”.  

read more at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disengagement_theory.

Disengagement theory states that as people age, they tend to withdraw from society and society withdraws from them. As people age, they tend to grow more fragile and their social circles shrink as they start to pull away and are less actively involved in most activities. A lot of people point out that often this disengagement is enforced, rather than voluntary.

Ill health : They may have health problems or diseases that stop them from interacting with other people. Some of these could be hearing impairment, visual impairment, mobility or breathing etc.

Geographical mobility : They may move to a place that is quiet and peaceful as they may become easily irritated by noisy environments. It could also mean that family members want more privacy. They move away to find a better job in another place.

Retirement : Is when they stop working completely as they will not be able to do their job as effective as before due to ageing. This means that they will no longer or have less contact with their colleagues.

Travel and technology : Technology – Some older people don’t know how to use computers or phones. Everything is technology based in this era, computers and phones are the most important thing to have as it will help you connect or communicate with your loved ones, friends and relatives. Older people who don’t have children or grandchildren the seclusion they face is even worse as they have no way to learn how to use any of the new technology that’s being offered on the market at the moment. Travelling – for older people travelling can consume too much time they may also find it difficult to sit in the same position for to long. The lack of travelling services may also be an issue, as if your over a certain age it might be difficult to travel aboard as the health insurance may not cover you. Older people also face difficulty with day-to-day activities by lack of mobility (not being able walk, or not owning a car).

Activity theory:

The activity theory of aging is the theory that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and a persons level of activity. The persons level of activity actually influences how a person views his or her self. This theory also coincides with the disengagement theory. The disengagement theory is when an elderly person gives up some of their roles in life while still managing a sense of self-worth. This theory was proposed by Henry and Cummings in 1961.

It means that if older people will remain physically and mentally active and maintain social interactions their happiness will increase and this will also prevent them from disengagement.

This theory was made to believe that retiring from work is a good opportunity for older people to engage with the activities that they hadn’t yet experienced. When they reach retirement they will have enough time to travel to places that they would like to visit and spend their money on whatever they like.