SOC 304 Social Gerontology week 1

DQ1:After reading Chapter 3 in your textbook, address the following:

1. Discuss the differences between activity theory and disengagement theory.
2. Compare and contrast one of the other theories mentioned in the chapter (i.e., modernization, exchange theory, subcultural theory of aging, etc.) to activity theory and disengagement theory.
3. Discuss how the theory that you selected differs from the activity and disengagement theories of aging.
4. Contact a person who would fall into one of the categories of old age (i.e., young old, middle old, or oldest old) and interview them about how their lives have changed since they reached the milestone of being an older adult. In your post, include a brief synopsis of what you learned with regard to that person’s activities, illnesses, social support networks, and employment situation. Based upon your informed opinion, which theory (or theories) provides the best theoretical framework for understanding the process of aging for the person that you interviewed? Be sure to support your answer. Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length

DQ2

: review pages 10 through 13 of Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences and pages 62 and 63 of Aging, Society, and the Life Course. 

As your textbook notes, historical events can have different impacts depending upon one’s age cohort. Historical events like the Great Depression, World Wars, and pandemics have had a marked impact on the life course of individuals. How have the social and demographic changes of the last century led to the increased growth and aging of the population? Be sure to discuss this in terms of the demographic transition theory.

How do you expect the current worldwide economic downturn that was discussed in Chapter 2 of your textbook to impact those living in this era? Be sure to explain how this event is expected to influence the life course of the young old, the middle old, and the oldest old.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references