Sociology of Aging Midterm – Flashcards
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Psychological Aging
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includes changes in personality, mental functioning and sense of self during the adult years
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Social Aging
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changes in people that occur along with or perhaps as the result of historical change
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Societal Aging
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demographic, structural and cultural transformations affects every aspect of social life from social institutions to the experiences of aging individuals
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Chronological age
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age measured by the time (years and months) that something or someone has existed
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Functional age
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a person's physical and psychological well-being
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Life stage
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a segment of one's life that spans specific ages, and in which a predictable pattern of growth an development occur.
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Ageism
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prejudice and discrimination against older people
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Generation
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the normal time between successive generations
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cohort
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a group people having approximately the same age
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Generational Consciousness
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generations characterized by common world views that distinguished it from other generations.
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Social Gerontology
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sub-field of gerontology that studies the non physical aspects of aging
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Life course perspective
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analyzes personal attributes, roles, life events, and social/historical aspects of events
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life chances
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the opportunities people have to provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experiences
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Multiple jeopardy
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occupying several disadvantaged positions simultaneously compounds or risk of negative outcomes in old age
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Ecological fallacy
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improper use of aggregate data to draw conclusions about the characteristics of individual cases or groups
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Social construct
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any idea or pattern of behavior that is created and sustained by human beings in the course of social interaction
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heterogeneity
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state of being dissimilar, composition from unlike elements
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Tweener
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older adults whose incomes fall between too high to qualify for "safety net" programs and are too poor to guarantee financial stability
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Life History
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A research method wherein the researcher listens to the telling of a life story for the purpose of understanding a particular aspect of an individual's life
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Event History Analysis
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Analysis of the recall data provided by individuals about their life. The life pattern is usually characterized as being in one of a number of states (e.g. education)
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Comparative Studies
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use data from different sources in order to evaluate them against each other
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Quasi-experimental
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one has little or no control over the allocation of the treatments or other factors being studied
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age effects
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the effect that aging has on the body
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period effects
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phenomenon in which a historical event or major social trend contributes to the unique shape and outlook of a birth cohort
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cohort effects
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Effects due to a person's time of birth, era, or generation but not to actual age.
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Attrition
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study dropouts, darwin's theory
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life course fallacy
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interpreting age differences in data collected at one time across birth cohorts as if the differences were caused by the process of aging, without ruling out other possibilities
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cohort sequential designs
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combined longitudinal and cross-sectional approach; advantages of cross-sectional; also assesses potential cohort effects
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secondary data analysis
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Analysis of data collected by others.
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Cohort-Centrism
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erroneous assumption is made that future (or past) cohorts will age (have aged) in the same fashion as current cohorts under study
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lifespan
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the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
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life expectancy
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the average age that a newborn infant can expect to attain in a particular time and place
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demographic transition theory
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main factors underlying population dynamics are industrialization and growth of modern cultural values
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population pyramid
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A bar graph representing the distribution of population by age and sex.
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dependency ratio
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The number of nonworking members compared to working members for a given population
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modernization theory
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a theory asserting that as societies developed they would take on a set of common characteristics including democracy and capitalism
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human development
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the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death
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gerotranscendence
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An additional psychosocial stage--a cosmic and transcendent perspective directed forward and outward, beyond the self
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structural lag
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mismatch between changing expectations about aging and the inertia of social arrangements
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fictive kinship
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granting someone who is unrelated the title or rights of a family member
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intimacy at a distace
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emotional and social bonds between parents and children are maintained across households
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inevitable aging
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changes that automatically happen with age (hormone cycles, ect)
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usual aging
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things that happen to most people (wrinkling skin, hearing loss, ect)
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pathological aging
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stressors trigger seemingly age related ailments
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successful aging
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overall mind body and spirit health in terms of getting older
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why would rapid aging of the population create social problems?
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care for this new population, financial burden
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micro social gerontology
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behaviors attitudes and feelings shaped by personalities and one's social situation
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macro social gerontology
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the organizations and institutions that create conditions requiring a response from individuals
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micro life course perspective
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personal development's impact on decisions made in someones lifetime
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macro life course perspective
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social and historical factors impact on decisions made in someones lifetime
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cumulative (dis)advantage
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all of the factors that could help or hinder you (socioeconomic status, gender, race, ethnicity, ect)
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difference between heterogenity and diversity?
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heterogenity is differences in the older population, whereas diversity is based on social standing (race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ect.)
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theories- what are they and what is their role in social research
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"the driving force behind research", dictating both the specific questions that need to be asked and the choice of the most appropriate analytical techniques to answer them.
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event history analysis
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attempts to address when in particular life events happens or in the social forces that shape its occurance, the frame of reference draws attention to a particular event of interest (retirement, enactment of new social policy, entry into a nursing home, divorce, ect.)
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cohort sequential design
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as one age group moves into a new cohort, their views change, but these views are mirrored for every other group in that same age cohort designation
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important ethical issues in aging research
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obligation to do no harm, most no coerce into participating, some older adults may bend the truth in fear of the possible repercussions
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importance of population aging
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means that the country is becoming more developed
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three ways populations age
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migration, mortality and fertility rates
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life expectancy changes for m v. w
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the types of jobs they have, less physically strenuous
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crossover effect
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less high risk behavior, and because women engage in more preventative medicine
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young society
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lots of young people, few older people, high mortality, high fertility
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gender/race on life expectancy
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whites highest, women highest, others lower
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demographic transition theory
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represents the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system.
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measures of population aging- proportioned aged
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considers the proportion of a society that is older
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measures of population aging- population pyramids
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graphic illustration of the age and sex structure of a population, helps make predictions about the shape of our population pyramid in the future
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measures of population aging- median ages
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single numbers that are often used in conjunction with other measures of population aging
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measures of population aging- aging index
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ratio of older people to children under the age of 15
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measures of population aging- dependency ratios
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population that falls within are categories traditionally thought to be economically dependent: under 15, over 65.
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measures of population aging- life expectancy
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averaged length of time the member of a population can expect to live
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how are other countries aging in comparison to the U.S.?
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developing countries aging rapidly, modernized countries aging slowly
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consequences of geographic distribution of the older population?
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snowbirds (people who go south for the winter) take a toll on retailers and stores
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recent and future changes to the racial and ethnic composition of the older adult population in the U.S.
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growing, changing the social structure along with the rise of these non-white races
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myths of American population, how do these myths mask diversity?
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norman rockwell painting-eque ideas, hiding the truth about who is playing what role in their family, community, or otherwise
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major developmental tasks in middle and old age?
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figuring out how to balance leisure work and education
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age norms, relation to the life course perspective
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socially governened expectations and sanctions concerning the appropriateness of role acquisitions and behaviors as a function of chronological age
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why is old age a "roleless role"?
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they don't hold much responsibility that isn't for themselves
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are age norms flexible?
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Expectations about how a person of a certain age should behave,
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age structure of modern American family, age-differentiated, age-integrated?
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ideal is age differentiated, education work and leisure set aside for different times of life, realistically they're age-integrated and people experience education work and leisure in all parts of their lives
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modified extended family
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a variety of relatives live, not necessarily in the same household but in very close proximity to one another, interact on a frequent basis, and provide emotional and economic support for one another.
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late-life family
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past child bearing/raising age
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core norms and expectations of family relationships
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how close is the normal american family, spouses go into room without asking permission, parents go into kids room without asking permission
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key familial relationships
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sisters, brothers, spouses, parents, grandparents, ect
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what happens to marital satisfaction over the life course?
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timing, gender-related norms, dependency of marriage depends on the generation born in and the social norms of marriage then
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old society
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lots of older people, less young people, low mortality, low fertility
