Ch.5, Research/Aging Flashcards
Structural Functionalism
Relationships between social structures/institutions and the individual
“Organs” of society function together
Macro level
Social Constructionist/Interpretive Perspective
Individual defines through verbal/symbolic interactions with others what social meaning is in that situation
Micro level, does not consider larger social system
symbolic interactionism
Conflict Perspective
Society is full of competing and conflicting groups; is dynamic and changing
Based on marxist theory
Class based conflict
All about vying for resources
Social Exchange Perspective
Individuals search for social; situations in which valued outcomes are possible and in which their social, emotional and psychological needs can be met
Social scientists seek knowledge about past experiences and current personal needs before they determine the amount of equality/inequality in a specific social exchange relationship
Postmodern Perspective
Science and knowledge are linked to social control and power
Social constructionism: reality is socially constructed and evolves as we actively interact with others or record our thoughts and meanings
Social Deconstruction: language is a social concept that must be deconstructed for us to understand and explain real social interactions
Feminist/Masculinity Theory
Gender is an organizing principle for studying social life across the life course, and it can create inequities that advantage men and disadvantage women
Goals of feminist research are to understand social reality through the eyes and experiences of women, to eliminate gender based oppression and inequality
Gender inequalities are socially constructed
Life Course Perspective
Interplay between individual lives and changing social structures/between personal biography and societal history
Multiple interdependent trajectories
Activity/Substitution Theory
Individual adaptation in later life involved in continuing an active life
Continued social interaction would maintain the self concept and hence a sense of wellbeing
High activity and maintenance of roles
Favorable self concept is positively related to life satisfaction
Disengagement Theory
Only through a process of work-role withdrawal by older people can young people enter the labour force
Process of disengagement results in less interaction between an individual and others in society; assumed to be a universal process
Continuity Theory
As people age they strive to maintain continuity in their lifestyle
Critical Gerontology:
collection of questions, problems, and analyses that have been excluded by gerontologists; consists of the political economy of aging, a more humanistic path based on the deconstruction of meanings in communication
Cohort Effects:
ocio-economic and cultural experienced shared by all individuals born around the same time
Cohort Centrism;
if an age stratum consciousness develops, a cohort interprets events through its own unique experiences, thereby generating a cohort-centric view of the world; makes it difficult to understand or accept the views of other cohorts
Cohort Flow/Succession:
Cohort flow: the transitional periods a person experiences through aging. Disordered cohort flow: when a cohort is unable or unwilling to take on a new age role
Global reciprocity:
Reciprocity (give and take) of relations occurs over a long period, describes the rebalancing of relationships (parents caring for their children and then children caring for their parents)
