Chapter 13 Flashcards
A theory which suggests that for individuals to enjoy old age and feel satisfied, they must maintain activities and find a replacement for the statuses and associated roles they have left behind as they aged
activity theory
A theory which states that members of society are stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender
age stratification theory
Discrimination based on age
ageism
Individuals born between approximately 1946 and 1964
baby boomers
People 100 years old or older
centenarians
A group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait
cohort
A theory which states that the elderly make specific choices to maintain consistency in internal (personality structure, beliefs) and external structures (relationships), remaining active and involved throughout their elder years
continuity theory
The number of productive working citizens to non-productive (young, disabled, or elderly)
dependency ratio
A theory which suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old
disengagement theory
When a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in their charge
elder abuse
A sociological paradigm that models human interaction based on calculated social exchanges of resources governed by a norm of reciprocity
exchange theory
Deference and respect to one’s parents and ancestors in all things
filial piety
A medical specialty focusing on the elderly
geriatrics
A type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society’s oldest members
gerontocracy
A field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older
gerontology
The idea that as people age, they transcend limited views of life they held in earlier times
gerotranscendence
A psychological, emotional, and social response to the feelings of loss that accompanies death or a similar event
grief
Health care that treats terminally ill people by providing comfort during the dying process
hospice
The period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events
life course
The number of years a person is expected to live
life expectancy
A theory which suggests that societies pass through a linear series of social transformations as they transform from traditional to industrial based forms of social organization
modernization theory
The voluntary use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end an individual’s life
physician-assisted suicide
Biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes
primary aging
Aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet
secondary aging
The idea that successful personal development throughout the life course and subsequent mastery of the challenges associated with everyday life are based on the components of selection, optimization, and compensation
selective optimization with compensation theory
The aging process, including biological, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual changes
senescence
A specialized field of gerontology that examines the social aspects of aging
social gerontology
A theory that focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded, voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups due to age
subculture of aging theory
The systematic study of death and dying
thanatology
