PSY 376 disengagement theory

From WolfWikis

Beginning of Disengagement Theory

"The psychological and social effect of aging tells us a lot about how a culture values the elderly and the internal processes that take place as we approach death. How does our impact on society and vice versa shift as we age? Are older people valued for their wisdom and pluck or dismissed as useless geezers? Social gerontologists seek to answers such questions.

Social gerontology took root in the late 1940s after World War II. At that time, society in the United States and across the globe had changed irrevocably, and sociologists assumed the task of sorting out the differences. Scholars had long examined the biological way that we die, but the Social Science Research Council of 1948 concluded that academia had paid little attention to the interaction between biology and society [source: Achenbaum and Bengston]. In response to that call to action, the first formalized psychosocial (focusing on thoughts and behavior) theory of aging was published around a decade later.

Social scientists Elaine Cumming and William Henry outlined the disengagement theory of aging in their 1961 book, "Growing Old." They based their theory on data from the Kansas City Study of Adult Life, in which researchers from the University of Chicago followed several hundred adults from middle to old age. What Cumming and Henry surmised is that growing old isn't a cheerful time in which cardigan-clad grandmas bake cookies for their adoring offspring and grandchildren. In old age, we end up inevitably alone." (HowStuffWorks.com)

Disengagement Theory is a mutual withdrawal between elders and society that takes place in anticipation of death. Older people become free from work and family responsibilities allowing them to enjoy the rest of their lives peacefully. They begin to interact less often and activity levels are decreased. However, not all older adults prefer to be disengaged (Berk, 2007).

The process of aging and the ways with which it is dealt are directly related to the society to which the aging person belongs. Therefore, disengagement theory is mostly connected with societies that do not place an emphasis on the value, importance, and respectibility of its elders. Many modern societies for example, value high efficiency and contribution, neither of which the elderly are able to provide as well as their younger counterparts. In many ways, they are seen as burdens to these societies, which triggers mutual disengagement between the elderly and the rest of society. According to the disengagement theory, the elderly who disengage e take it upon themselves to do so for the benefit of society.

Details of Disengagement Theory (Brown, 2008)

• Refers to an inevitable process in which many of the relationships between a person and other members of society are severed & those remaining are altered in quality.
• Withdrawal may be initiated by the aging person or by society, and may be partial or total.
• It was observed that older people are less involved with life than they were as younger adults.
• As people age they experience greater distance from society & they develop new types of relationships with society.
• In America there is evidence that society forces withdrawal on older people whether or not they want it.
• Some suggest that this theory does not consider the large number of older people who do not withdraw from society.
• This theory is recognized as the 1st formal theory that attempted to explain the process of growing older.

Disengagement Theory

The following were cited from textbooks and primary research articles.

The biological process of aging is usually correlated with a decline of efficiency that will eventually lead to death

The major social theories of aging are: Disengagement, activity, and social exchange theories. This article focuses on the Disengagement Theory.

The disengagement theory is simply aging progressing towards physical, social, and psychological withdrawal from the rest of the world.

--> Physical: People reduce amount in activities and focus on conserving their energy.

--> Social: People end their memberships in clubs, organizations, attendance at parties, various affairs. Therefore they only converse with people in small groups to help them ease into a peaceful death since these social ties are almost completely gone.

--> Psychological: Aged people decrease their concern with the outside world and larger issues of politics and business.

A critique written about disengagement theory examines the central theory in the sociology of aging-disengagement theory. The article is based off of Cumming and Henry's question: How is age related to engagement in social life?

The authors proposed that engagement occurs through social existence and a normative engagement. This is where the engagement of elder people varies with the general character of the society and that individual's particular location in any one society.

How Withdrawal Works

"­Cumming and Henry's disengagement theory offers a bleak portrait of old age. Consider the plight of an older woman we'll call Connie. A retired college professor and widow, Connie enjoys fairly good health, but the loss of her husband and a handful of close friends wears on her mentality. She stays active by playing bridge and volunteering at a soup kitchen. Her two adult children call regularly. Gradually, Connie's arthritis prevents her from being able to cook at the soup kitchen. Then, she falls in the shower and breaks her hip. Afterward, Connie's children arrange for a nurse to come by the house every day to help her. Now, Connie is housebound, and she loses contact with her bridge friends. As her health fails, she only has the energy to visit with family. By the time she dies, Connie's multiple social networks have been whittled down to a few individual relationships.

According to Cumming and Henry's model, the major shift in interaction between seniors and society begins once older people fully recognize the brevity of their remaining life spans. For Connie, that probably happened after she broke her hip and essentially lost her independence. Once that realization sets in, the elderly will remove themselves both consciously and subconsciously from many social networks. Simultaneously, society distances itself from the elderly, and the roles and authority reserved for the older members of a population are passed along to the younger ones.

From Cumming and Henry's sociological perspective, disengagement has theoretical benefits as well. For one thing, it gives the elderly a new role. Connie used to be a wife, mother, professor and community activist. Old age removed her capacity to fulfill those roles and facilitated disengagement. In industrialized nations, the disengagement theory also ensures a viable labor force as older people whose job skills degrade willfully remove themselves from the workplace. Finally, full disengagement then frees a person to die.

If you think this sounds like an overly harsh assessment, you aren't alone. When the disengagement theory circulated through the scholarly community, it wasn't universally embraced. Other scholars commended its thoroughness and clarity. But the claims didn't jive with their observations of elderly people who stayed engaged and active until death. Surely, some reasoned, old age isn't an unavoidable road to isolation." (HowStuffWorks.com)

More Articles on Aging

[1] HowStuffWorks.com

References

• Berk, E. Laura. Social Theories of Aging. Development Through the Lifespan. Pearson Education, Inc; 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007. Fourth Edition; 610.

• Brown, V. M. (2008). Theories of aging. Retrieved March 2, 2009 from http://www.angelfire.com/ns/southeasternnurse/TheoriesofAgingC3.html.

• Hochschild, Arlie R.. "Disengagement Theory: A Critique and Proposal." American Sociological Association 40,5Oct 1975 553-569. Web.20 Apr 2009.

• Jones, Franklin R.. The Psychology of Human Development. 2nd. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row , 1985. Print.

• How Stuff Works. HowStuffWorks.com. 30 Oct. 2008. 23 Apr. 2009 <http://health.howstuffworks.com/life-stages/aging/disengagement-theory1.htm>.