Explain the Theories of Ageing
There are many different theories of ageing that have been created, that give explanations as
to how people age or how they should age. This essay will be explaining four of the most
influential theories of ageing and how they are influential, and the effects of the theories on
others. This essay will also compare two of these theories against each other, explaining the
positives and negatives of each one.
P1
Activity Theory (Robert J. Havinghurst, 1961)
This theory relates to ageing because it suggests an approach as to how to age successfully,
and how the users will reap the benefits ranging from maintaining the ability to live
independently to relieving the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Activity Theory
suggests that in order for one to age successfully, they must stay mentally and physically
active, while maintaining social interactions. For an elderly adult to stay mentally active, they
must participate in mentally challenging exercises to keep their brain active. Mentally
challenging exercises could include chess, Sudoku and word search, physical exercises could
include Zumba, water aerobics or just simply walking. Lastly, in order for the person to
maintain social interactions, they could meet up with friends or family a few times a week, or
perhaps join a club to meet new people with the same hobbies and interests to build a
relationship with; they could even start using social media if they do not already use it! When
individuals retire, it becomes harder for individuals to remain socially active, as they are no
longer working and are not forced into socialising with others. If people are following the ideas
of the activity theory, it will encourage those individuals to ensure that they are remaining
social throughout their retirement as well as remaining physically and mentally active. As for
the delivery of services in health and social care settings, if the professionals follow the activity
theory, it will help the service users stay fit and healthy, and ensure they are not lonely or
bored. Although the Activity Theory tends to bring enjoyment and maintain people’s skills and
dignity for longer as well as reducing isolation and helping people to express their emotions,
it overlooks inequalities in health, which may curb their ability to remain active.
Disposable Soma Theory (Thomas Kirkwood, 1977)
The Disposable Soma Theory relates to ageing because it states that the reason we gradually
age and become weaker with age, is because we have fewer resources within our body to
distribute towards repairing damaged tissues red and white blood cells, for example. The
Disposable Soma Theory suggests that the body rations the amount of energy that is available
to it, the body uses energy from the food we consume for repairing and maintaining the many
various cells within the body, reproduction and other bodily functions. “Aging is the result of
natural degrading processes that result in accumulation of damage but the damage can be
repaired by the organism at the expense of reproductive effort.” This quote I selected is
explaining that when you start to age, you begin to accumulate an increasing amount of
damage to your body. In order for your body’s organisms to repair this damage, it must take
that energy – otherwise used for reproduction – to repair it. Because of this, the concept of
this is that in order to have the greatest chance at producing offspring, you must do it at an
optimal period in time, before you age. For example, before menopause for women. However,
There are many different theories of ageing that have been created, that give explanations as
to how people age or how they should age. This essay will be explaining four of the most
influential theories of ageing and how they are influential, and the effects of the theories on
others. This essay will also compare two of these theories against each other, explaining the
positives and negatives of each one.
P1
Activity Theory (Robert J. Havinghurst, 1961)
This theory relates to ageing because it suggests an approach as to how to age successfully,
and how the users will reap the benefits ranging from maintaining the ability to live
independently to relieving the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Activity Theory
suggests that in order for one to age successfully, they must stay mentally and physically
active, while maintaining social interactions. For an elderly adult to stay mentally active, they
must participate in mentally challenging exercises to keep their brain active. Mentally
challenging exercises could include chess, Sudoku and word search, physical exercises could
include Zumba, water aerobics or just simply walking. Lastly, in order for the person to
maintain social interactions, they could meet up with friends or family a few times a week, or
perhaps join a club to meet new people with the same hobbies and interests to build a
relationship with; they could even start using social media if they do not already use it! When
individuals retire, it becomes harder for individuals to remain socially active, as they are no
longer working and are not forced into socialising with others. If people are following the ideas
of the activity theory, it will encourage those individuals to ensure that they are remaining
social throughout their retirement as well as remaining physically and mentally active. As for
the delivery of services in health and social care settings, if the professionals follow the activity
theory, it will help the service users stay fit and healthy, and ensure they are not lonely or
bored. Although the Activity Theory tends to bring enjoyment and maintain people’s skills and
dignity for longer as well as reducing isolation and helping people to express their emotions,
it overlooks inequalities in health, which may curb their ability to remain active.
Disposable Soma Theory (Thomas Kirkwood, 1977)
The Disposable Soma Theory relates to ageing because it states that the reason we gradually
age and become weaker with age, is because we have fewer resources within our body to
distribute towards repairing damaged tissues red and white blood cells, for example. The
Disposable Soma Theory suggests that the body rations the amount of energy that is available
to it, the body uses energy from the food we consume for repairing and maintaining the many
various cells within the body, reproduction and other bodily functions. “Aging is the result of
natural degrading processes that result in accumulation of damage but the damage can be
repaired by the organism at the expense of reproductive effort.” This quote I selected is
explaining that when you start to age, you begin to accumulate an increasing amount of
damage to your body. In order for your body’s organisms to repair this damage, it must take
that energy – otherwise used for reproduction – to repair it. Because of this, the concept of
this is that in order to have the greatest chance at producing offspring, you must do it at an
optimal period in time, before you age. For example, before menopause for women. However,
