Disengagement Theory Of Aging Essay

So many men talked of growing old and retirement as a tragedy. They were forced to recognise that it was not their working life which was over, it was their life which was over. Their life became a rather desperate search for pastimes or a gloomy contemplation of their own helplessness’.
Ageing affects everyone, it begins the minute each of us are born. Ageing is the process of growing old, which involves meanings, roles and identities associated with being a particular age (these characteristics of growing old vary from society to society). Many fear the passage from adulthood to old age because of how societies act to the elderly. Ageing is a product of three factors; Biology (wrinkles, frail and less able); Psychology (not as fast to react, being subject to ageist stereotyping has impact on them psychologically) and Social (it is through the social that experiences, perceptions and attitudes to what is being old and what is regarded as being old). Each of these factors exerts an influence on the others.
Ageism is very more common nowadays, it is a …show more content…
‘The disengagement theory of aging claims that it is natural and acceptable for older adults to withdraw from society and personal relationships as they age’ (www.boundless.com). The Disengagement theory was established by Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henry in the late 1950’s, and was presented in their ‘Growing Old’ book published in 1961. Their findings suggest that the elderly naturally disengage from society, they withdraw from involving themselves with people or in groups/activities etc. and society responds to the disengagement by preparing to go on once the elderly have passed. It also puts emphasis on the roles, responsibilities and values that ensure the smooth running of the social structure. Cumming and Henry used nine postulates to explain their