Thus far, we have explored the meaning of aging and changes that take place physically and cognitively. I would like you to do some research and find an example of an older person who has busted the myths of old age. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX58PyQwrcI You may find examples profiled on Youtube, Ted Talks, or legitimate news sources. What does your example say about his/her aging experience? Do you detect an over-riding philosophy that guides his/her life? Relate the story to one or more of the aging theories we have discussed. Follow the writing guidelines outlined in the course syllabus. This writing should be a min of 750 words. Be sure to connect the story with topics and controversies covered in the course. I suggest an outline that is similar to this: 1. Introduce your subject (age, career, where he/she lives, family, etc.) 2. Discuss examples given about successes and accomplishments in their older age 3. Discuss personal philosphies 4. Relate the story to concepts/controversies discussed thus far in Sasser and Moody 5. Conclusion Controversy 1 Does Old Age Have Meaning? The Meaning of Age • Humans live in a world full of symbolism and shared meaning • “Meaning” is so powerful, it can even be a matter of life or death Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 2 The Meaning of Age (cont.) • Two questions examined in the book: 1. Does old age have a meaning for society? 2. How do individuals actually experience their lives as meaningful in the last stage of life? Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 3 The Meaning of Age (cont.) • Social gerontology seeks to answer these questions by studying two areas of life that provide contrasting views of activity and disengagement: Leisure and religious participation Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 4 Leisure Activities in Later Life • Leisure: defined as an activity engaged in for its own sake; an end in itself • In later life, leisure often begins to take the place of work, both in terms of having more free time and as a way of finding meaning in life Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 5 Leisure Activities in Later Life (cont.) • Stereotypes of “old people’s activities” (e.g., shuffleboard, bingo, etc.) are mistaken • Age alone doesn’t predict what people do with their leisure time in later life • Old people are not all alike • Individual differences, gender, and SES all play a big part Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 6 Changing Leisure Participation Patterns • People over age 65 continue to engage in the same activities with the same people as they did in middle age • Patterns of late-life leisure have important implications for the economy in an aging society Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 7 Changing Leisure Participation Patterns (cont.) • Education and income are the biggest factors in how older people spend their free time • Retired people who have more money have more choices, and are more likely to change their patterns of activity more often Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 8 Religion and Spirituality • A majority of older Americans say that religion is “very important” in their lives • Religious involvement in old age tends to follow a pattern of multidimensional disengagement: • As people grow older, they may withdraw from some activities (such as attending church), but show an increase in personal religious practice (such as Bible study or listening to religious TV and radio) Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 9 Religious Involvement • Older Americans continue to display patterns of religious identification similar to those among younger age groups: • Older women have higher levels of religious participation and belief than older men Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 10 Religious Involvement (cont.) • Churches and religious organizations play many roles in the lives of older people: • Formal religious programs • Pastoral care programs • Sponsors or providers of social services Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 11 Religious Participation and Well-Being • Studies have shown a positive correlation between well-being and religious beliefs among older individuals • But it’s difficult to define and measure what “religiousness” actually means in people’s lives • Also unclear whether or not religious involvement actually promotes physical health Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 12 Religious Participation and Well-Being (cont.) • Yet, social scientists theorize that religion helps older adults cope in many ways: • Reducing the impact of stress in late-life illness • Providing a sense of order and meaning in life • Offering social networks tied to religious groups • Strengthening inner psychological resources, such as self-esteem and resilience Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 13 Spirituality and the Search for Meaning • While habits of religiosity tend to remain stable in later life, a recent study found that 40% of people who experienced a distinct change in faith did so after age 50 • “Faith stages”—James Fowler’s (1981) theory that people move from simpler, more literalist idea of religion to levels where they see themselves in more universal terms Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 14 Spirituality and the Search for Meaning (cont.) • Six dimensions of “spiritual well-being”: 1) Self-determined wisdom 2) acceptance of the totality of life 3)Self-transcendence 4) revival of spirituality 5) discovery of meaning in aging 6) preparation for death Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 15 Social Gerontology and the Meaning of Aging in the 21st Century • The majority of older adults surveyed described their lives as meaningful • Older people might still be encouraged to maintain social connections, but this engagement should be based on a strategy for individual development—not conformity to social norms or activities Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 16 The Meaning of Aging in the 21st Century • The life course perspective views “stages of life” as social constructions that reflect broader structural conditions of life • Thus, as conditions change, so will the view of how people find meaning at different ages Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 17 The Meaning of Aging in the 21st Century (cont.) • It’s not clear how the meaning of old age will change in contemporary, postindustrial society • We must distinguish between a meaning that society ascribes to old age, compared to what individuals find meaningful in their own lives Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 18 Reading 1: The Coming of Age • Simone de Beauvoir, describing the life course journey of becoming an older person, asks, “Can I have become a different being while I still remain myself?” • Discuss the tension identified in this quote between staying the same and changing as we grow older. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 19 Reading 2: Vital Involvement in Old Age • Erikson, Erikson, and Kivnick state: – “Our society confronts the challenge of drawing a large population of healthy elders into the social order in a way that productively uses their capacities. Our task will be to envision what influences such a large contingent of elders will have on our society as healthy old people seek and demand more vital involvement.” Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 20 Reading 2: Vital Involvement in Old Age (cont.) • What assumptions do the authors seem to be making about current and future older adults? What might be some of the characteristics of “vital involvement”? Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 21 Reading 4: The Measure of My Days • Florida Scott-Maxwell writes about old age as both “a time of heroic helplessness” and “a place of fierce energy.” – What do you think she’s trying to express about aging and being an old person? Can you think of any examples that illustrate this seeming contradiction? Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 22 Basic Concepts 1 A Life Course Perspective on Aging Concepts for Thinking About the Meaning of Age • Age identification: refers to both how many years have passed since we were born as well as an individual's experiences of the aging process • Age differentiation: certain roles and behaviors are considered appropriate based on chronological age Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 2 Concepts for Thinking About the Meaning of Age (cont.) • Age grading: refers to the way people are assigned different roles in society based on their age • Age stratification: theory that a person’s position in the age structure affects behavior or attitudes Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 3 The Stages of Life • Humans have always seemed to recognize a progression through the life course, no matter how long it is, from young age to old age. • However, views of how humans age and the meaning and expectations attached to certain ages have changed over time and vary by culture. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 4 The Stages of Life (cont.) • Example: In the Western world, during different historical eras there were different views of the human progression through the life course. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 5 The Stages of Life (cont.) • Since the middle of the 20th century, because of increases in longevity, distinctions are made between certain stages of life, based on chronological age groups and the assumption that members of the group have things in common: • “Young-Old”: ages 65–74 • “Old-Old”: ages 75–84 • “Oldest-Old”: ages 85 and over Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 6 Traditional Theories of Aging • Modernization Theory: claims that the status of older adults declines as societies become more modern • Old age was valued in agricultural society where the elders controlled the land Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 7 Traditional Theories of Aging (cont.) • Disengagement Theory: considers old age to be a time when both the older person and society engage in mutual separation (e.g., retirement from work) • One of the earliest attempts to explain old age in modern society • Doesn’t always refer to the outward behavior of people—can mean an inner attitude toward life Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 8 Traditional Theories of Aging (cont.) • Activity Theory: argues that the more active people are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with life • Opposite view of Disengagement Theory • May be difficult for “old-old” people because of physical changes with aging Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 9 Traditional Theories of Aging (cont.) • Continuity Theory: claims that people who grow older are inclined to maintain as much as they can of the same habits, personality, and style of life they developed in earlier years • Similar to Activity Theory in asserting that decreases in social interaction are better explained by poor health or disability, rather than some functional need of society to “disengage” older people from their previous roles Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 10 The Life Course and Aging • Aging is increasingly viewed from a “Life Course” perspective • Span of a lifetime = total number of years we live • Course of life = the meaningful pattern seen in the passing of time • Earlier experiences are thought to influence how aging and later life are experienced Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 11 The Life Course and Aging (cont.) • • An individual's characteristics—class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, etc.—are seen as important as well Longitudinal design is the research methodology used to follow how development unfolds in individuals over time and is the primary approach used to study the life course. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 12 Influences on the Life Course • All theories have limits: none fully explains the many ways individuals experience old age • Many also reflect social values in uncritical ways (e.g., setting up either activity or disengagement as the ideal goal in old age) Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 13 Influences on the Life Course (cont.) • Most pervasive view of adulthood assumes continuous deterioration and decline • Gives priority to biological factors and is the basis for age-based prejudice called Ageism Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 14 Influences on the Life Course (cont.) • Social class and life history affect one’s path through the life course • Also, other factors such as earlier life events, social/cultural historical events, unpredictable non-normative life events, etc. have an influence Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 15 Influences on the Life Course (cont.) • Social institutions and policies have structured the life course in modern times, and define transitions throughout life • This may provide order and predictability, or it may foster dependency on the system • Examples: “learned helplessness” and “excess disability” Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 16 Aging in the 21st Century • Today, we no longer have a shared map for the course of life • Time and the Life Course—there are many expectations about how much time should be spent in certain stages of life • e.g., time spent devoted to education, childbearing, etc. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 17 Aging in the 21st Century (cont.) • The Moral Economy of the Life Course— embodies expectations of what is fair or right • The old moral economy that distributed work and leisure according to chronological age is losing its power Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 18 The Biology of Aging • The new science of longevity—on a biological level, aging results from changes in cells, tissues, etc.; so we understand the process by comparing young cells to old ones • Cross-sectional methodology—looks at the physical function of people at different chronological ages, but at a single point in time (e.g., looking at a 1-, 10-, 20-, and 30-year-old on April 25, 2016) Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 19 The Biology of Aging (cont.) • Biomarkers—biological indicators that can identify features of the basic process of aging (ex., blood pressure, eyesight and hearing abilities, etc.) • Reserve capacity—the body’s ability to recover from assaults and withstand high demands during physical exertion Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 20 The Biology of Aging (cont.) • For each species, there is a different: • Lifespan: the maximum number of years a member of a species can survive And • Life expectancy: the average number of years an individual can be expected to live after birth taking into account environmental factors Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 21 The Biology of Aging (cont.) • Lifespan and Life expectancy are related but not the same thing. A newer concept is “health span”: the number of years of health and well-being a person experiences. Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 22 Mechanisms of Physical Aging • Wear and Tear: the balance between the body’s exposure to damage and its ability to repair itself shifts, and it becomes harder for the body to heal itself • Free Radicals: ionized oxygen molecules are the waste products that result from continuous cell metabolism and may contribute to physical aging Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 23 Mechanisms of Physical Aging (cont.) • The Immune System: the immune system’s job is to defend the body against invaders such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites; with normal aging, the body’s ability to fight invaders declines Moody, Aging 9e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 24 Aging and Psychological Functioning • A long-term research project spearheaded by Rowe and Kahn introduced the concept “successful aging” and explored the important connections among the following: • • • • Self-concept and social relationships Social roles Cognitive functioning Physical health Moody, Aging 9e. 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