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Activity Theory.html

Activity Theory

Activity theory, another older theory of social aging, describes social roles in terms of level of activity. Using the career change example, a person’s level of activity changes throughout life, or at least that is the expectation from a stereotypical viewpoint. “Act your age” seems to be the guiding principle for advocates of activity theory. Do older adults have to act their age? What is age-appropriate behavior? Would it be unusual for a person of 70 to be an avid player of video games such as Grand Theft Auto or Dragon Age? Role theory and activity theory, in some aspects, do have some merit in explaining how roles and level of activity describe social aging, but they fall short of limiting the tendency of stereotyping older adults into specific social norms.

Social norms and cultural traditions are integral components of social interactions. As such, there will continue to be a perspective that defines older adults by the roles they once had, as well as the roles that society expects them to fill after retirement. As in any social theory of aging, none are mutually exclusive, and there is variability. As we shall see in next week's examination of careers and retirement, older adults do not have to be defined by either their status as retired or by their level of productivity. Older adults attend college, change careers, and engage in sports and other physical activities.