Chapter 2 Flashcards
Social gerontology
A subfield within the field of gerontology; it focuses on the social side of aging, while other subfields study the physiology and biological aspects of aging
Mirco-level theories
Focus on the individuals and their interactions; they are used to explain phenomena such as the relationships between adult children and their parents, changes in memory with age, and the effect of negative attitudes on older people’s self-esteem
Macro-level theories
Examines social structures or structrual elements as they influence experiences and behaviours
Interpretive perspectives
Focuses almost exclusively on the mirco level of social life; It looks at how people define situations, how they create social order, and how they relate to one another in daily life.
Functionalist perspective
Holds that social order is based on consensus, cooperation, and shared norms and values, and that all parts of society serve a role or function to keep society in a state of balance or equilibrium; structural functionalism predicts that when there is social change, society will attempt to create an orderly transition to a new, stable state
Positivist worldview
Based on the belief that knowledge is built by studying observable facts and their relationships to one another
Age stratification theory
Focuses on the movement of age cohorts over the life course and on “the role of social structures in the process of individual aging and the stratification by age in the society”
Age cohort
A group of people born in the same period of time; for example, all of the people born between 1950-1955 form an age cohort
Age grades
A concept used in age stratification theory to describe periods of life defined by society, such as childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood
Life course perspective
A functionalist approach that bridges the mirco and macro levels of analysis by incorporating social interaction and social structure within its framework; begins with the idea that life unfolds from birth to death in a social, cultural, and historical context; looks at the impact of social institutions, historical periods and events, personal biography, life cycle stage, life events, and resources on the older person
Transitions
Changes in social status or social roles such as marriage, parenthood, divorce, remarriage and widowhood
Trajectories
Long term patterns of stability and change that often include many transitions
Non-normative events
Unexpected events such as illnesses, lay-offs, and accidents
Normative history-graded events
Shape the lives of many age cohorts, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s or World War II
Normative age-graded events
Socially sanctioned events that occur most often at a certain age, like marriage or retirement
Age-status asynchronization
Someone for whom major life events come early or late - a teen mom - may feel out of sync with the age-status system in Canada
Conflict perspective
Holds that society consists of conflicts between dominant and subordinate social groups
Political economy theory
Focuses on conflict and change in social life; it traces this conflict to the struggle between social classes and to the resulting dominance of some groups in society and the subordination of others
Interlocking systems of oppression
“Macro level connections linking systems of oppression such as race, class, and gender
Cumulative advantage and disadvantage theory
Says that advantages and disadvantages earlier in life accumulate and are magnified over the life course
Feminist approaches
View gender as a defining characteristic in social interactions and life experiences, as well as in the process and experience of aging; gender is seen as socially constructed, with men being more advantaged than women in society
Narrative gerontology
Seeks to understand the “inside” of aging by examining the narratives of life stories that people tell in order to organize and make sense of their lives, and their experiences
Moral economy theory
Focuses on shared values and social norms that shape popular beliefs in the legitimacy of certain practices and policies; this theory complements political economy theory
Critical gerontology
Theoretical approaches that look “within” theory and research to critically examine and question the underlying and “taken-for-granted” assumptions of aging
Post-modern theory
Contrasts contemporary society with society in the recent past; for example, older people today can take on many roles in retirement, whereas in the pastm they had limited options after they retired
Age effects
On a person’s life are related to physical decline or change due to the aging process
Period of environmental effect
On a person’s life are due to the time of measurement; this would include historical, social, environmental effects, such as an ongoing war, changes in health habits, or changes in healthcare policies that have different influences on different age cohorts
Cohort effects
Are related to hte time of the person’s birth
Cross-sectional research design
Studies people from many age groups at one point
Longitudinal research design
Looks at a single group of people at two or more points in time
Time-lag comparison design
Examines different groups of people of the same age at different points in time
Sequential design
Researchers look at a series of cross-sectional studies during a longitudinal study
Evidence-based practice
Promotes the use of research findings in the delivery of services to older people
