The psychology of aging is important to many features of daily life, from workplace and the family, to public policy matters. Why do most older adults remain mentally sharp, while others have memory. No one theory is sufficiently able to explain the process of aging, and they often contradict one another. Psychological theories of aging explains aging in terms of mental processes, emotions, attitudes, motivation, and personality development that is characterized by. Theory and design of the community for successful ageing comsa. In this lesson, well examine the three most common psychosocial theories about aging, including the disengagement, activity. There are many theories about the mechanisms of age related changes.
American psychological association psychology and aging. Each attempts to explain how one ages successfully. The aim of this essay is to discuss how different theories of ageing have tried. Because the continuity theory, as i will show later. The construct of successful aging has found a number of definitional efforts. Some theories are biological and some are psychosocial. This paper will depict a clinical situation, encompass the biological theory of aging, the wear and tear theory, and how it relates to the situation and the interactions employed by the clinical nurse specialist cns. In this paper i will present and examine three psychosocial theories of aging. The positive psychology of ageing this wiki is about the positive psychology of ageing. Understand the factors that influence the health and. Population ageing is the increase in the number and proportion of older people in society. Biological aging defined aging is a complex biological process in which changes at molecular, cellular, and organ levels result in a progressive, inevitable, and inescapable decrease in the bodys ability to respond appropriately.
According to the activity theory of aging, older adults who remain active and are able to maintain their social interactions find the highest degrees of happiness in their lives. The growing need for psychological services for older adults. A short evaluation of aging theories and focal points of aging studies aysegul kaboglu department of biology, science and art faculty, trakya university, 22080 edirne, turkey. Theories of aging can be divided into two categories. Genetic basis of aging theories hi h ti f i lifhigh conservation of maximum life span between species similarity of attained age between monozygotic twins compared to dizygotic twins or nontwin siblings. Psychological theories of aging request pdf researchgate. Request pdf on oct 1, 2015, iris wernher and others published psychological theories of aging find, read and cite all the research you need on. Psychosocial theories of aging describe aging in relation to behavior, personality, and attitude change throughout the aging process mauk, 2010. Explain the theories of aging ageing is the changes in a person over time.
Theories of aging a psychosocial theory and a biological theory are two main theories of aging being discussed in this paper. To the extent this is true, the effects of biological and psychological aging are not necessarily inevitable, and successful aging is possible. Only a few broad, overarching theories attempt to explain why we and nearly all living organisms age. This section outlines some of the most widely accepted and major theories of the causes of aging. Defects in dna repair seem to be directly related to aging. This pioneering text is the only book to comprehensively explore both research and practice in the psychology of aging and to bring home the actual aging experience through the use of innovative narrative accounts.
The book covers various theories of aging, summaries of evolution theories, the impact of evolution theory on aging theories, effect of theories and attitudes on antiaging research, and summaries of many scientific observations that influence thinking on the subject of aging. Contemporary theories of aging highlight psychosocial resources and psychological processes as important modifiers of associations among earlylife contexts, socioeconomic factors, and health outcomes in later life. Disengagement theory views aging as a process of mutual withdrawal in which older adults voluntarily slow down by retiring, as expected by society. The psychological science of human ageing chapter 1. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. It is important to know the causes of aging, because as with treating any disease one must first understand the problem, so that afterward the precise remedy can be applied. Because she limits coverage to the older years, janet belskys text is. It will be argued that a constructivist view of science in terms of models or metaphors encourages the development of theories in the field of aging. A biopsychosocial perspective as required reading for students william e. Ver bengtson, phd, is research professor of gerontology and professor emeritus of sociology at the university of southern california. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Empirical research, previous literature culturalsocial historical climate theory producers own values and interests also usually the result of a culturalsocial historical climate aging theories.
Some important problems are identified with each of the. Geropsychology is a field within psychology devoted to the study of aging and the provision of clinical services for older adults. The psychological concept describes ageing in terms of the specific changes in behavior, cognitive. We will start out by informing you about the ageing population, how different societies come to view the elderly and how this may positively or negatively affect their wellbeing. Focus of research on aging promote aging in a healthier fashion and postpone some negative consequences of growing old. Use the concepts, language, and major theories of psychology to explain aging understand ethical issues as they relate to aging use critical thinking to identify and evaluate the source, content, and credibility of information evaluate new ideas with an open but critical mind. Aging info resources and theories on biological aging. They provide starting points for interventions to support adaptation to healthrelated changes that become more and more prevalent in later life.
Some important problems are identified with each of the theories when the criteria of intersubjectivity of meaning, testability, and empirical adequacy are utilized in the evaluation process. Nevertheless, one of the most popular theories is the free radicals or oxidative stress theory of aging, which hypothesizes that an accumulation of reactive oxygen species hereafter ros falls. Keep people healthy and active longer rather than extending a state of longterm disability. All valid theories of aging must meet three broad criteria. Aging is caused by the accumulation of various harmful substances in the cells of an organism.
People approach late adulthood and the process of aging differently. Psychological models of aging volume 14 issue 1 johannes j. Psychological theories of aging, gerodynamics, branching theory. The cambridge handbook of age and ageing edited by malcolm l. Psychological wellbeing, the model of selection, optimization and. Over the last century, the growing realization of the changing demography of ageing has provoked sociological and biological research to explain the effects of these changes on society. The theory of aging is still wellaligned with what we know about the aging process, even with advancements made in recent years.
Theoretical developments in the psychology of aging. It is the manifestation of biological events that occur over a span of time. First developed by robert havighurst in 1961, the theory proposes that older adults maintain an optimal aging. Theory of aging and cognitive theory of personality. Theories of aging resources american federation for.
These theories compete with each other, making it unlikely that more. A short evaluation of aging theories and focal points of. Proponents of nonprogrammed aging arguing against nonindividualbenefit theories or associated programmed aging theories therefore have to show that all of the nonindividual benefit theories and all of the associated programmed aging theories are utterly invalid to the point where none of them could provide an even minute benefit to a purposely. This is related to an evo lutionary theory of aging called the disposable soma theory. Three universities, worcester, keele and aston, came together between may 2015 and february 2016 to explore psychologies of ageing. Handbook of the psychology of aging, eighth edition. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Timiras department of molecular and cell biology, university of. The field of psychogerontology is data rich, but theory poor. Evolutionary theories of aging predict the existence of certain genes that provide selective advantage early in life with adverse effect on lifespan later in life antagonistic pleiotropy theory. Psychological theories of successful aging springerlink. There are three main psychosocial theories of aging, which is defined as a focus on social and psychological aspects leading to successful aging.
Handbook of the psychology of aging handbooks of aging. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Two major theories explain the psychosocial aspects of aging in older adults. Proponents of disengagement theory hold that mutual social withdrawal benefits both individuals and society. He has a phd from the university of chicago and is past president of the gerontological society of.
The aging changes that the theory addresses must occur commonly in all members of a humans. Over the years many theories on aging have been developed and studied. In fact, many scientists believe that humans have long lifespans because we are much better at repairing our genome than shortlived animals like mice. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. In the following, we place psychological theories of ageing in a framework of. Psychological theories explain aging in terms of mental processes, emotions, attitudes, motivation, and personality development that is characterized by life age t s ansitions. Handbook of the psychology of aging, eighth edition, tackles the biological and environmental influences on behavior as well as the reciprocal interface between changes in the brain and behavior during the course of the adult life span. Why are most older adults successful in adapting to the stressors of late life, while others become suicidal. Handbook of theories of aging edition 2 editors vern l. As researchers, geropsychologists expand knowledge of the normal aging process and design and test psychological interventions that address problems that commonly arise as people age.
Biological theories of aging psychology of aging october 20, 2005. Theory may be defined as a cluster of conclusions in search of a premise. Older cells contain a dark colored, insoluble substance called lipofuscin the amount of this material increases at a constant rate over time. Psychologists are at the forefront of research on questions related to health and aging. Compensation, the motivational theory of lifespan development, and the theory of. In the most established ones, high physical and mental functioning, low risk for disease and functional loss, high engagement with life, and high wellbeing are emphasized. Psychological theories on health and aging refer to approaches that explain how healthy aging can be promoted and how diseases can be prevented or delayed. Psychological theories on health and aging springerlink. Psychology is not prepared for the future growth of our older adult population, and i suggest psychology of aging. Smith, institute for social research, university of michigan, institute for social research, ann arbor, michigan contemporary theories of aging highlight psychosocial resources and psychological processes as important modifiers of associations among earlylife contexts, socioeconomic factors, and health outcomes in later life.
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