Chapter 13: Aging and the Elderly

Question 1

activity theory

Answer 1

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

Question 2

age stratification theory

Answer 2

theory which states that members of society are stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender

Question 3

ageism

Answer 3

discrimination based on age

Question 4

baby boomers

Answer 4

Americans born between approximately 1946 and 1964

Question 5

centenarians

Answer 5

people 100 years old or older

Question 6

cohort

Answer 6

a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait

Question 7

continuity theory

Answer 7

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

Question 8

dependency ratio

Answer 8

the number of productive working citizens to non-productive (young, disabled, or elderly)

Question 9

disengagement theory

Answer 9

theory which suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old

Question 10

elder abuse

Answer 10

when a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in their charge

Question 11

exchange theory

Answer 11

theory which suggests that we experience an increased dependence as we age and must increasingly submit to the will of others, because we have fewer ways of compelling others to submit to us

Question 12

filial piety

Answer 12

deference and respect to one’s parents and ancestors in all things

Question 13

geriatrics

Answer 13

a medical specialty focusing on the elderly

Question 14

gerontocracy

Answer 14

a type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society’s oldest members

Question 15

gerontology

Answer 15

a field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older

Question 16

gerotranscendence

Answer 16

the idea that as people age, they transcend limited views of life they held in earlier times

Question 17

grief

Answer 17

a psychological, emotional, and social response to the feelings of loss that accompanies death or a similar event

Question 18

hospice

Answer 18

health care that treats terminally ill people by providing comfort during the dying process

Question 19

life course

Answer 19

the period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events

Question 20

life expectancy

Answer 20

the number of years a newborn is expected to live

Question 21

modernization theory

Answer 21

theory which suggests that the primary cause of the elderly losing power and influence in society are the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization

Question 22

physician-assisted suicide

Answer 22

the voluntary use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end one’s life

Question 23

primary aging

Answer 23

biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes

Question 24

secondary aging

Answer 24

aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet

Question 25

selective optimization with compensation theory

Answer 25

based on 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

Question 26

senescence

Answer 26

the aging process, including biological, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual changes

Question 27

social gerontology

Answer 27

a specialized field of gerontology that examines the social (and sociological) aspects of aging

Question 28

subculture of aging theory

Answer 28

theory that focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups

Question 29

thanatology

Answer 29

the systematic study of death and dying