Deck 8: Social Theories of Aging

Question 1

Recent efforts to integrate postmodern theory into gerontology reflect a concern among some feminist theorists to:

A) focus more on older women.
B) support positivist approaches to feminist research.
C) challenge research practices based on old beliefs and assumptions.
D) challenge clinicians who always view older women as victims.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Regarding "structural lag",:

A) societies today have difficulty accommodating to and utilizing retired elders.
B) employers today recognize the resources and skills of older workers.
C) new federal policies encourage workers to move in and out of the workforce.
D) organizations have many opportunities for healthy retired volunteers.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which theory is centered on an intent to describe the changing world, not in an idealized way, but as it appears today?

A) symbolic interactionism
B) age stratification
C) social exchange
D) post modernism

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The following statement is consistent with the concept of social phenomenologists and social constructionists:

A) standard measures and tests that are available can help understand reality.
B) criteria for evaluating a nursing home would be similar for patients, family and staff.
C) there is no such thing as "reality" .
D) individuals construct their own meanings of "reality" .

Question 5

According to age stratification theory, the generation that retired in the year 2000 may differ from those who retired in the 1950s, in that new retirees:

A) may view leisure as unhealthy for successful aging.
B) may be more planful and proactive of aging and the dying process.
C) are financially worse off than previous cohorts.
D) are less likely to be parents and grandparents.

Question 6

Social exchange theory states that:

A) older people exchange goods and services with other older people.
B) most older people exchange material goods and services with younger generations.
C) elders must exchange their material resources for emotional support.
D) elders generally have fewer resources to exchange.

Question 7

The following is consistent with the concept of the "life course perspective":

A) it focuses on improvements in function and world outlook with aging.
B) the uniqueness of the individual in adapting to a changing environment.
C) adult development is dynamic and interactive.
D) human development is linear and incremental.

Question 8

The political economy of aging is a recent model of social aging that is most closely related to:

A) social exchange theory.
B) age stratification theory.
C) structural lag.
D) symbolic interactionism.

Question 9

Goals of critical gerontology include all of the following except:

A) to link academics and practitioners.
B) to focus on technical advancement.
C) to provide a vision of a "good old age" .
D) to theorize subjective dimensions of aging.

Question 10

Age stratification theory suggests that older people:

A) recognize and understand the world view of younger generations.
B) today may be quite different from older persons of the past.
C) vary in their individual responses to aging.
D) are part of a social structure that devalues them.

Question 11

Critical theorists are most concerned about:

A) defining a useful role for older persons in Western society.
B) creating positive models of aging.
C) reflecting on the losses of aging.
D) bringing a positivist tradition into social gerontology.

Question 12

The life course perspective differs from role theory in that this perspective:

A) considers individual personality as part of roles.
B) places people in their family context.
C) includes the impact of time, period, and cohort on aging.
D) focuses on the individual's developmental achievements and losses.

Question 13

Gerotranscendence theory:

A) focuses on the need for contemplation in old age.
B) focuses on the historic and cultural context of aging.
C) represents a shift in the elder's perspective to a materialistic view of the world.
D) reflects Western cultural ideals of wisdom and purpose.

Question 14

In contrast to other theories, the best method for testing empirically a concept in social phenomenology is to use:

A) standardized psychological tests.
B) qualitative or ethnographic methods.
C) observation checklists.
D) clinical assessments by geriatricians.

Question 15

Regarding theories and concepts of aging.:

A) theories before the 1960s focus on societal forces that influence aging.
B) "age norms" have little to do with "role theory" .
C) disengagement theory has been supported by empirical research.
D) most early theories ignored environmental and lifestyle influences.

Question 16

Feminist theorists have been most influenced by:

A) age stratification theory.
B) the life course perspective.
C) social exchange theory.
D) social constructionism.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a component of role theory?

A) role losses
B) role discontinuity
C) role additions
D) role exit

Question 18

Disengagement attempted to show that:

A) it is normal for older people to be depressed as they disengage from society.
B) it is adaptive for the well-being of older persons to disengage.
C) older adults should be encouraged to remain active.
D) older people who remain active will experience social rejection.

Question 19

Continuity attempted to show that, as people age,:

A) they substitute similar roles for those roles which they lost.
B) they have problems maintaining their typical ways of adaptation.
C) life satisfaction is greater if men continue to work.
D) they are more influenced by the environment.

Question 20

Activity theory attempted to show:

A) the more active an older person, the greater his/her life satisfaction and self-concept.
B) leisure and relaxation should be emphasized in old age.
C) societies dictate how active a retired person should be.
D) older people should reduce their activity levels.

Question 21

The later social theories of aging are distinguished by a shift from:

A) a focus on the structural to individual processes that affect aging.
B) a focus on more qualitative methodologies to understand individual interpretations of aging.
C) none of the above.
D) both of the above.

Question 22

One of the implications of the political economy perspective is the need to develop more services that address structural inequities in our society.

Question 23

The symbolic interactionist view of aging takes account of the meaning of older people's activities within the larger environment.

Question 24

Feminism addresses primarily the individual life experiences of women as they age.

Question 25

The symbolic interactionist perspective was one of the first social gerontological theories to consider the impact of the environment on older people's behavior.

Question 26

Theory development reflects personal observations about age changes.

Question 27

Age stratification theory has been useful in explaining how older adults in most societies are discriminated against because of their position in social structures.

Question 28

Social exchange theory explains how older people disengage from society because it is beneficial to them and to society.

Question 29

The early social gerontological theories addressed both individual and environmental factors that affect people's adjustment to aging.

Question 30

The early social gerontological theories focused on how well older adults adjust to aging.

Question 31

Early classic theories are still supported by empirical evidence.

Question 32

Social phenomenologists and constructionists differ from earlier theories by their focus on the subjective meaning of old age.

Question 33

Disengagement theory has been supported by recent empirical research.

Question 34

An example of role loss that older adults commonly face is:

A) retirement.
B) movement to a nursing home.
C) elder abuse.
D) the returning home of adult children.

Question 35

Structural lag occurs when social structures, such as work and education, are not congruent with the changes in the aging population and older people's lives.

Question 36

The second transformation in theoretical development in gerontology took place:

A) in the 1960s.
B) in the 1970s.
C) in the 1980s.
D) in the 1990s.

Question 37

Both feminist and humanistic approaches toward understanding old age are examples of critical theory.

Question 38

The phrase "act your age" is an example of society enforcing:

A) role discontinuity
B) age stratification
C) disengagement
D) age norms

Question 39

The process by which individuals discard roles that have been central to their identity is called:

A) socialization.
B) age-normative expectations.
C) role exit.
D) role loss.

Question 40

The life course perspective primarily takes account of individual personality changes with age.

Question 41

Every society conveys age norms through ________, the lifelong process of learning new roles, relinquishing old ones and becoming integrated into society.

Question 42

People born in the same time period who share a common history and environmental past, present and future are called a ________.

Question 43

Identify the four goals of a critical gerontology approach.

Question 44

________ occurs when social structures cannot keep pace with the changes in population and individual lives.

Question 45

Present the key points about continuity theory.

Question 46

Contrast disengagement theory and activity theory.

Question 47

Apply a symbolic interactionist perspective to aging.

Question 48

In what ways does social exchange theory challenge activity theory and disengagement theory?

Question 49

Which theory is based on Havinghurst's analyses of the Kansas City Studies of Adult Life?

Question 50

According to the ________ perspective, what is considered to be old age varies with the economic, cultural, historical, and societal context in which aging occurs.