Senescence is an evolutionary process whereby an organism is genetically built to remain healthiest until it has achieved its reproductive age, and to subsequently begin to slowly and gradually die afterwards. Maintaining the body to sufficiently ensure reproduction, the deterioration in health and in activity associated with aging also mirrors the eventual withdrawal and disengagement from social functions as an individual proceeds from middle to later life. Older people do not actively contribute to the economy and to the maintenance of social operations as they did in their middle years. They disengage or "retire" from active responsibilities, and allow the younger cohort or generation to replace them in work and in social obligations.
[...] Theory Description and Critique Description of Disengagement Theory The reduced involvement in the social environment caused by withdrawal from activities associated with aging produces significant psychological processes in the individual. Cumming and Henry (1961) propose that retirement involves a decline in social interaction, and that it is combined with a reduction in life space and loss of social esteem and morale. Death factors prominently in the concerns raised by disengagement theory, as it represents the loss of ties to other people in society (i.e., the social network) and the end-point toward which individual's deteriorating abilities are directed. [...]
[...] New York: Basic Books. Havighurst, R. J. and Albrecht, R. (1953). Older People. New York: Longmans, Green. Hochschild, A. R. (1975). “Disengagement Theory: A Critique and Proposal,” American Sociological Review, 553-569. James, [...]
[...] Conclusion Aging well is determined by remaining involved and engaged in social roles and pursuits which the individual finds rewarding and satisfying. By counter-acting the negative impulse to withdrawal from society, active living can increase the psychological and social well being of the older individual to help focus and maintain them in their later years. While North American society highly values efficiency, innovation and youth, re- adjusting to new social roles will assist the elderly person in countering the negative consequences of social disengagement. [...]
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