Finals-Aging

Question 1

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

Answer 1

activity theory

Question 2

Age stratification theory

Answer 2

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

Question 3

people in the United States born between approximately 1946 and 1964

Answer 3

baby Boomers

Question 4

centenarians

Answer 4

people over 100

Question 5

a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait

Answer 5

cohort

Question 6

continuity theory

Answer 6

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

Question 7

dependency ratio

Answer 7

the number of nonproductive citizens (young, disabled, elderly) to productive working citizens

Question 8

disengagement theory

Answer 8

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

Question 9

exchange theory

Answer 9

a 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 10

filial piety

Answer 10

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

Question 11

geriatrics

Answer 11

a medical specialty focusing on the elderly

Question 12

gerontocracy

Answer 12

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

Question 13

gerontology

Answer 13

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

Question 14

gerotranscendence

Answer 14

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

Question 15

age and modernization theory

Answer 15

a 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 16

primary aging

Answer 16

biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes

Question 17

secondary aging

Answer 17

aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet

Question 18

selective optimization with compensation theory

Answer 18

a theory 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 19

senescence

Answer 19

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

Question 20

social gerontology

Answer 20

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

Question 21

subculture of aging theory

Answer 21

a 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 22

thanatology

Answer 22

the systematic study of death and dying

Question 23

Theories in the functionalist perspective on aging focus on…

Answer 23

the role of elders in terms of the functioning of society as a whole.

Question 24

Theories in the conflict perspective on aging concentrate on…

Answer 24

how elders, as a group, are at odds with other groups in society.

Question 25

theories in the symbolic interactionist perspective on aging focus on…

Answer 25

how elders’ identities are created through their interactions.