Key Concepts and Theories in Aging and
Gerontology
Age Strata ✔✔✔layers, or cohorts within a society, defined by chronological age
Dependency crisis ✔✔✔a position taken by some demographers that the baby-boom generation
will put a strain on the resources of their children's generation
Dependency ratio ✔✔✔the economic ratio of dependants (children and seniors) to people of
working age
dpendency-free expectancy ✔✔✔the length of time individuals can expect to live before they
require social, medical or financial support
ego integrity ✔✔✔holding on to one's sense of wholeness- the primary psychococial task of late
adulthood according to Erikson
generativity ✔✔✔productivity, or the range of ways people are able to make their mark on
future generations; Erikson believed it was the basis of identity in middle age
disengagement theory ✔✔✔older persons make a normal and healthy adjustment to aging when
they detach themselves from their social roles and prepare for their eventual death
sability tmplate mdel ✔✔✔a theory of aging that assumes that the motivation of individuals
does not change once they reach adulthood; personality is largely formed in childhood
oderly cange model ✔✔✔based on stage theories of development; it explains ealry in life, but
changes through interaction with the environment in the present
theory of random change ✔✔✔a theory of aging; non-normative events shape identity because
of how individuals adapt to their new roles; social change may affect the behaviour of a cohort
(cohort effect)
social construction theory ✔✔✔symbolic interactionist theory of aging; individuals' behaviour
does not necessarily differ from place to place, or from generation to generation, but the meaning
ascribed to behaviour changes to reflect the expectations of the society
activity theory ✔✔✔The view that elderly people need to remain active in a variety of social
spheres with relatives, friends, and community groups and become withdrawn only unwillingly,
as a result of ageism.
social death theory ✔✔✔a controversial aging theory that says there is mutual withdrawing of
older people and society
bereavement ✔✔✔state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
sandwich generation ✔✔✔those overseeing their own children as well as elderly parents
Gerontology
Age Strata ✔✔✔layers, or cohorts within a society, defined by chronological age
Dependency crisis ✔✔✔a position taken by some demographers that the baby-boom generation
will put a strain on the resources of their children's generation
Dependency ratio ✔✔✔the economic ratio of dependants (children and seniors) to people of
working age
dpendency-free expectancy ✔✔✔the length of time individuals can expect to live before they
require social, medical or financial support
ego integrity ✔✔✔holding on to one's sense of wholeness- the primary psychococial task of late
adulthood according to Erikson
generativity ✔✔✔productivity, or the range of ways people are able to make their mark on
future generations; Erikson believed it was the basis of identity in middle age
disengagement theory ✔✔✔older persons make a normal and healthy adjustment to aging when
they detach themselves from their social roles and prepare for their eventual death
sability tmplate mdel ✔✔✔a theory of aging that assumes that the motivation of individuals
does not change once they reach adulthood; personality is largely formed in childhood
oderly cange model ✔✔✔based on stage theories of development; it explains ealry in life, but
changes through interaction with the environment in the present
theory of random change ✔✔✔a theory of aging; non-normative events shape identity because
of how individuals adapt to their new roles; social change may affect the behaviour of a cohort
(cohort effect)
social construction theory ✔✔✔symbolic interactionist theory of aging; individuals' behaviour
does not necessarily differ from place to place, or from generation to generation, but the meaning
ascribed to behaviour changes to reflect the expectations of the society
activity theory ✔✔✔The view that elderly people need to remain active in a variety of social
spheres with relatives, friends, and community groups and become withdrawn only unwillingly,
as a result of ageism.
social death theory ✔✔✔a controversial aging theory that says there is mutual withdrawing of
older people and society
bereavement ✔✔✔state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
sandwich generation ✔✔✔those overseeing their own children as well as elderly parents
