Preview

old age and retirement

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1056 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
old age and retirement
Self , Society and the life course.

Topic : Old age and retirement

STUDENT NAME AND ID : ADETOUN ADEDEJI ID NO. 21215708

The essay will be focusing on Old age and retirement as a particular stage of life course and exploring the disengagement and activity theories and psychological concept of this stage, as well as identifying the importance of social institution in relation to this life course.
The age at which old age is thought to start varies in different cultures and historically. In western world old age generally refers to those aged over 60. Freedom pass for older people in Britain is from age 60 and above and For donkey's years, the age at which you can claim your state pension benefits has been 65 for men and 60 for women.
According to Erikson’s theory of Psychological Development, old age is the stage in which individuals assess the quality of their lives. In reflecting on their lives, people in this age group develop a feeling of integrity if deciding that their lives were successful or a feeling of despair if evaluation of one’s life indicates a failure to achieve goals. Most people begin to feel ‘old’ as a result of illness or disability. Old age is apart of the lifecycle about which there are numerous myths and stereotypes. The commonly held beliefs that old age is a dependant stage, characterised by a lack of social autonomy, unloved and neglected by their immediate family and friends and posing a threat to the living standards of younger age groups by being a burden that consumes without producing. The elderly have been treated as a homogeneous group facing common problems. Thus it is argued that poverty in old age is primarily a function of low economic and social status prior to retirement and the depressed social status of the retired, and secondarily, of the relatively low level of state benefits. Social policies which have failed to recognize inequality in old age and the causes of low economic and social

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The process of aging has been around as long as life itself. All living organisms pass through three broad stages from conception to death, which are maturation, maturity and aging. Aging affects everyone because nearly everyone has the potential to grow old and all the societies in which we live have older members (Macdonald, 1997). Gerontology is the use of reason to understand aging. The term was used to refer to the scientific study of aging, but nowadays it includes the study of aging using views from other disciplines such as humanities, social policy and human services. To correctly understand aging, knowledge from a variety of sources is needed, therefore gerontology includes the results of research on aging from all academic disciplines and fields of professional practice. There are four interrelated aspects to the study of aging, which are, physical, psychological, social psychological and social. The study of physical aging examines the causes and consequences of the body’s declining capacity to renew itself and the means for preventing, treating, or compensating for illness or disability caused or related by physical aging (Atchley, 1997). Psychological aging focuses on sensory processes, perception, coordination, mental capacity, human development, personality, and coping ability as they are affected by aging.…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    which illustrates co-operation of the elderly individual in the process of disengagement between them and society…

    • 1486 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Relationship Case Study

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This paper takes a look at three things. First how stereotypes about the elderly are pervelant in society, second, it discusses the physical and cognitive issues in aging. and finally it discusses the mental health treatment that are available for older adults.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Planning and Henry would process the disengage is meant theory as a way of explaining different behaviour and development in old age. They would suggest that when people reach their 60s they begin to disengage from active role in society for a variety of reasons:…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In comparison to the disengagement theory the activity theory views old age as an extension to the middle age instead of a separate psychological and biological stage in an individual’s life. So the activity theory proposes that old age is a continuity of the middle age as an individual should carry forward the biological and psychological stage of life from the middle age into old age. In the 1950’s Havighurst said that in old age if there is a loss of roles, activities…

    • 2198 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Theories of Aging

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages

    For this part of the assignment I am going to be describing two theories of ageing. Firstly I will be describing the Disengagement theory and then the Activity theory. I will then be comparing the similarities and differences between the two, and also writing up two case studies of older people and explain the development that occurs in older life, relating back to the theories I will have discussed.…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Late Adulthood

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In this paper I will be looking at ageism and stereotypes that associated with late adulthood, evaluating how people in late adulthood can promote health and wellness to help prevent the negative effects of aging. I will also be analyzing the importance of relationships and social interactions towards the end of a person’s life and identifying the cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    When examining ageism and stereotypes associated with late adulthood defines as ones prejudice or discrimination that occurs on the basis of age. When thinking about ageism one must look at the disengagement theory (Cumming & Henry, 1961) that proposes that adults voluntarily reduce the contact with society rather than experiencing exclusion later and the disappointment not chosen. Other ageism statements say that older people forced involuntarily to give up participation with society. The disengagement theory justifies withdrawal from social institutions.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Elderly people (women and men age sixty-five or older) (Macionis, 2005), Have many obstacles to face as they grow older, many of these obstacles involve social inequality. Not only do the elderly have to learn to deal with many forms of Ageism (the stereotyping and prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age), some also have to deal with the fact that they do not have enough savings or pension benefits to be self supporting, for most people over sixty-five, the major source of income is social security (Macionis, 2005). This forces many elderly Americans back into the workforce to continue to earn money to support themselves and or spouses. Although many elderly Americans may choose to work into later stages of their life for personal satisfaction, some choose to continue work for lack of money, and may be discriminated against in the workforce by facing ageism. Once out of the workforce, the elderly population may also have to face poverty and elderly abuse.…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    This paper will expound, and examine the major aspects of the disengagement theory, and activity theory. The paper will include the advantages, and disadvantages of the disengagement theory, and activity theory. The paper will also evaluate how both theories relate to the current approaches to aging.…

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this assignment I will be evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of activity and disengagement theory and how these theories can be applied to Mr Lee. When people get older they can take different approaches to aging and may have different theories that are relating to the aging process whether it being disengagement theory or activity theory. The elderly all deal with aging different, some can chose to be active or disengage themselves from society whether it being because of depression or may not deal with depression well.…

    • 890 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Old age can be defined in many different ways and can vary greatly depending on who is asked to define it or what the reasoning behind the definition may be. One commonly used marker for defining old age is chronological age. When using this method, one might define old age at 65 when a person is able to retire or at 50 when a person can join AARP, the largest senior citizen organization. In an article from the American Society of Aging (Altman, 2009), old age is defined by a quote from 1912 which states:…

    • 3055 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Oral History Paper

    • 1656 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The activity theory of aging was constructed on the basis of an individual’s life satisfaction directly related to his or her level of social interaction and/or the level of the activity. The activity theory states that people develop ideas about themselves based on their daily activities and the rolls that they play in life. According to the theory many people give up roles as they age. Many often move into roles that makes them question their self identity such as; retirement, becoming a widow or widower. And because…

    • 1656 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The article “Old Age as a Time of New Opportunities (from the Foundation of Age)” by Betty Friedan opened my eyes to a perspective that I had never really thought about. It was about how old age is usually perceived as another step closer to death. In this article we are able to understand the perspective of an elder female. The female is 59 years old almost 60. She wants to go to Outward Bound which will give her the extreme outdoor experience. She goes with her friend Cecelia Herwich. They have to leave their city clothes and forget about who they were in the past and have to leave behind their professional role. When they arrive at the first campsite they are given…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Retirement Issues

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One year ago, the U.S. had the 10th best retirement-income system in the world. One year later, that hasn't changed, according to the third annual study of the pension systems of 16 countries by Mercer and the Australian Centre for Financial Studies.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays