Describe the major theories of aging, and apply each to the case of Sheldon, a 75-year-old man.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

- There are four major approaches to understanding aging: disengagement theory, activity theory, continuity theory, and selective compensation with optimization.
- Disengagement theory argues that late adulthood is a time of gradual withdrawal from the world on multiple levels. Sheldon may find that he socializes less, ventures out of his home less often, or mentally starts to drift away from the concerns of this world.
- Activity theory proposes that people maintain the interests and activities that captivated them during middle age. If Sheldon liked to build plastic hot rod car models in his 50s, he would continue to do so in his 70s, admittedly with some modifications to account for the ravages of time.
- Continuity theory strikes a middle ground between disengagement and activity. The proposal here is that people maintain a desired level of involvement in society to meet their well-being and self-esteem needs. Sheldon might pull away from frivolous social interactions in the bingo hall, yet be an active participant in the Senior Citizens' Ultimate Modeling Society (SCUMS), because those activities meet his needs.
- Finally, the selective optimization with compensation model was proposed to cover all the bases. In this view, people concentrate on particular skill areas to compensate for losses in other areas. This approach would seem to apply to all stages of life, and in Sheldon's case, his interest in perfecting his model-making skills may compensate for his inability to drive to the grocery store.