(B.Stretch, 2007)
The disengagement theory suggests that loosing contact with older people is an inevitable consequence of biological decline and the disengagement from other people is a natural and appropriate response, but there is little statistical evidence to suggest that this is a general rule for everyone.
Society and the nature of work have changed. Many people of the older generation play an active part in their community and in some cases they may choose to continue working, such as looking for a part time job. Most of these people work in a hygienic environment so they lessen the risk of getting infection, because as you get older your immune system starts to wear away. This theory denies that individuals have a choice, although not every older person wants to sit inside their house, bored, all day every day
Disengagement theory at one point turned in to a heated debate which led to part of a heated debate that led to considerable progress in sociological thinking about ageing and the elderly.
Activity Theory
The activity theory was introduced by Lemon, Bengtson and Peterson in 1972, and it argues that older people need to stay mentally and socially active in order to limit the rises associated with disengagement. They reckoned that it was vital for a person to remain mentally active and interested in life and enjoy the company of others. Further, the more social contacts, activities and positive attitudes an older person has, the better their quality of life. (B.Stretch, 2007)
The activity makes certain assumptions which include that;
- There is an abrupt beginning of old age.
- The process of aging leaves people alone & cut-off.
- People should be encouraged to remain active & develop own-age friends.
- Standards & expectations of middle age should be projected to older age.
- Aging persons should be encouraged to expand & be involved.
(www.angelfire.com)
In order to maintain their physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills, well- being and quality of life, people need support and opportunities for support come from having roles and relationships. However, as people grow older, some life events which include retirement and bereavement cause people to loose contact and get rid of their social networks and cut down on the amount of social contacts they have. This theory suggests that by interacting in new and alternative activities that promote and add to their relationship, gives the elderly the sense of achievement which can cause them to have full interest in their lives. (B.Stretch, 2007)
Activity theory is basic perspective which suggests that elderly people will important benefits and they will be able to make meaningful contributions to other people's lives if they are involved in activities.
Studies which have been taken out have shown that elder adults do indeed benefit from activities that make them feel like they that they accomplishing something. Doing an activity for the sake of doing it can have negative consequences. Therefore doing an activity of some sort which the person is interested in can have some positive effects. So therefore they should take something like gardening, visiting art galleries, walking or going to the theatre. This can improve an individuals wellbeing and keep them health.
Examples
People choose to stay active or to disengage themselves. When people disengage themselves there are several reasons for why they are doing it. One reason could be due to their age, say you are 60 and above, you might feel like your hearing is not effective as it was, your bones are getting weaker, you can’t see things properly and you start hating yourself. That could be a reason for them to disengage themselves; another possible reason could be if a person has got a disease or an illness, this can cause them to start looking at life negatively.
People who stay active are those who enjoy exercising. Many of the benefits of being active, like having more energy and just feeling better, happen soon after you become more active. But some of the most important health benefits come with being active over time. So it is important you try to stay active during your life time if you want to be a healthy person and live a happy life.
Evaluation
Disengagement theorists believe that the overall theory takes a more positive approach to the idea that we remain active and engaged throughout life. It proposes that in old age, people fall back on the most successful social frameworks they built over the years. That eases the physical and social limitations that naturally accompany aging.
Activity theorists agree that if older persons remain living and working alongside others, they could suffer because the leadership roles and central roles of society would be handed over to the younger generation. Cooperative housing would provide new opportunities to fulfil the same kind of roles as before without having to compete with those of other age groups. As older adults grew older, they became more peripheral, less pivotal actors as the number of settings in which they were involved diminished (Barker & Barker, 1961).
Two resulting theories of aging mentioned above offer a softer outlook on the transition from able adult to dependent senior. Both assert that the elderly remain a viable part of society until death, and that society places value in the role of seniors.
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Activity theory starkly contrasts with disengagement. It posits that the older population is able to stay involved and active and that doing so, in fact, is the most advantageous approach to growing old. The only thing separating old age and middle age are biological processes, not societal wants and needs.
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Disengagement theory takes a more positve approach to the idea that we remain active and engaged throughout life. It proposes that in old age, people fall back on the most successful social frameworks they built over the years. That eases the physical and social limitations that naturally accompany aging.
(www.health.howstuffworks.com/life-stages/aging/disengagement-theory2)
Disengagement is a two-way process. The individual progressively disengages from their general involvement with society (retirement and so forth) and society, in turn, starts to disengage from the individual (people interact socially with the elderly on fewer and fewer occasions).
Criticisms of this theory that we could note here are that:
- Disengagement is not a progressive, inevitable, consequence of growing old (few people are always actively engaged in the society to which they belong, for example). On this basis we could justify discriminatory measures against, for example, the unemployed, on the basis that they have disengaged themselves from a normal, central, activity in society.
- Secondly, as the unemployment example shows, disengagement is not simply a matter of choice - the old have disengagement forced upon them. This theory ignores the role of cultural values and economic structures in the active creation of disengagement.
The main conclusion for this is that when it is considered in earlier life it is referred to & discussed as development and later in life when change is considered it is referred to as aging. Also that none of the theories mentioned above can claim sufficient evidence to account for the aging effects that are witnessed & experienced in humans.
