Aging and Society Exam
1. Social structure: a relatively stable structure of social interactions.
2. Gerontology: the discipline that systematically studies aging.
3. Prejudice: being biased against someone or something; a negative judgement
formed beforehand without knowledge of the facts.
4. Discrimination: unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice.
5. Stereotypes: an exaggerated and often prejudiced view of a type of person or
group of people.
6. Elder speak: a simplified speech like baby talk that some people use when they
speak to older people; it seems from stereotyping older people as slow-witted.
7. Ageism: prejudice against older people.
8. Intergenerational equity: the call for balanced support of older and younger
people through public policy and public expenditures.
9. Society for all ages: Promotes the well-being and contributions of older people
in all aspects of life, recognized their valuable contributions, and reflects the goals
of elimination of ageism in all sectors; a society for all ages has five core
principles: dignity, independence, participation, fairness, and security.
10. Social Gerontology: a subfield within the wider field of gerontology; it focuses
on the social side of aging while other subfields study the physical and biological
aspects of aging.
11. Micro-level theories: these theories focus on individuals and their
interactions; they are used to explain phenomena such as the relationship
between adult children and their parents, changes in memory with age, and the
effect of negative attitudes on older people's self-esteem
12. Macro-level theories: these theories "examine social structures or structural
elements as they influence experiences and behaviours."
13. Interpretive perspective: the perspective that focuses almost exclusively on
the micro level of social life; it looks at how people define situations, how they
create social order, and how they relate to one another in their daily life.
14. Age Cohort: a group of people born in the same period of time for example,
all the people born between 1950 and 1955 form an age cohort.
15. Functionalist Perspective: this perspective holds that social order is based
on consensus, cooperation, and shared norms and values, and that all parts of
society serve a role or function to keep society in a state of balance or equilibrium.
16. Age stratification theory: A theory that focuses on the movement of age
cohorts over the life course and on "the role of social structures in the process of
individual aging and the stratification to age in the society."
, Aging and Society Exam
17. Age grade: a concept used in age stratification theory to describe a period of
life defined by society, such as childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.
18. Life course perspective: a functionalist approach that bridges the micro and
macro levels of analysis by incorporating social interactions and social structure
within its framework.
19. Transitions: changes in social status or social roles such as marriage,
parenthood, divorce, remarriage, and widowhood.
20. Trajectories: long term patterns of stability and change that often include
many transitions.
21. Conflict perspective: a perspective that holds that society consists of
conflicts between dominant and subordinate social groups.
22. Political economy theory: a theory that focuses on conflict and change in
social life; it traces this conflict to the struggle between social classes and to the
resulting dominance of some groups in society and the subordination of others.
23. Interlocking systems of oppression: "macro-level connections linking
systems of oppression as race, class, and gender"
24. Cumulative disadvantage theory: this theory says that disadvantages earlier
in life accumulate and are magnified over the life course.
25. Feminist approach: an approach that views gender as a defining
characteristic in social interaction and life experiences, as well as in the process
and experience of aging; gender is seen as socially constructed, with men being
more advantaged than women in society.
26. Narrative gerontology: an approach that seeks to understand the "inside" of
aging by examining the narratives or life stories that people tell in order to
organize and make sense of their lives, and their experiences of aging.
27. Moral economic theory: a theory that focuses on shared values and social
norms that shape popular beliefs in the legitimacy of certain practices and
policies; this theory complements political economy theory.
28. Critical gerontology: theoretical approaches that look "within" theory and
research to critically examine and question the underlying and "taken-for granted"
assumptions of aging.
29. Post-modern theory: contrasts contemporary society with society in the
recent past; for example, older people today can take on many roles in retirement,
whereas in the past they had limited options after they retired.
30. Age effects: effects on a person's life related to physical decline or change
due to the aging process.
1. Social structure: a relatively stable structure of social interactions.
2. Gerontology: the discipline that systematically studies aging.
3. Prejudice: being biased against someone or something; a negative judgement
formed beforehand without knowledge of the facts.
4. Discrimination: unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice.
5. Stereotypes: an exaggerated and often prejudiced view of a type of person or
group of people.
6. Elder speak: a simplified speech like baby talk that some people use when they
speak to older people; it seems from stereotyping older people as slow-witted.
7. Ageism: prejudice against older people.
8. Intergenerational equity: the call for balanced support of older and younger
people through public policy and public expenditures.
9. Society for all ages: Promotes the well-being and contributions of older people
in all aspects of life, recognized their valuable contributions, and reflects the goals
of elimination of ageism in all sectors; a society for all ages has five core
principles: dignity, independence, participation, fairness, and security.
10. Social Gerontology: a subfield within the wider field of gerontology; it focuses
on the social side of aging while other subfields study the physical and biological
aspects of aging.
11. Micro-level theories: these theories focus on individuals and their
interactions; they are used to explain phenomena such as the relationship
between adult children and their parents, changes in memory with age, and the
effect of negative attitudes on older people's self-esteem
12. Macro-level theories: these theories "examine social structures or structural
elements as they influence experiences and behaviours."
13. Interpretive perspective: the perspective that focuses almost exclusively on
the micro level of social life; it looks at how people define situations, how they
create social order, and how they relate to one another in their daily life.
14. Age Cohort: a group of people born in the same period of time for example,
all the people born between 1950 and 1955 form an age cohort.
15. Functionalist Perspective: this perspective holds that social order is based
on consensus, cooperation, and shared norms and values, and that all parts of
society serve a role or function to keep society in a state of balance or equilibrium.
16. Age stratification theory: A theory that focuses on the movement of age
cohorts over the life course and on "the role of social structures in the process of
individual aging and the stratification to age in the society."
, Aging and Society Exam
17. Age grade: a concept used in age stratification theory to describe a period of
life defined by society, such as childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.
18. Life course perspective: a functionalist approach that bridges the micro and
macro levels of analysis by incorporating social interactions and social structure
within its framework.
19. Transitions: changes in social status or social roles such as marriage,
parenthood, divorce, remarriage, and widowhood.
20. Trajectories: long term patterns of stability and change that often include
many transitions.
21. Conflict perspective: a perspective that holds that society consists of
conflicts between dominant and subordinate social groups.
22. Political economy theory: a theory that focuses on conflict and change in
social life; it traces this conflict to the struggle between social classes and to the
resulting dominance of some groups in society and the subordination of others.
23. Interlocking systems of oppression: "macro-level connections linking
systems of oppression as race, class, and gender"
24. Cumulative disadvantage theory: this theory says that disadvantages earlier
in life accumulate and are magnified over the life course.
25. Feminist approach: an approach that views gender as a defining
characteristic in social interaction and life experiences, as well as in the process
and experience of aging; gender is seen as socially constructed, with men being
more advantaged than women in society.
26. Narrative gerontology: an approach that seeks to understand the "inside" of
aging by examining the narratives or life stories that people tell in order to
organize and make sense of their lives, and their experiences of aging.
27. Moral economic theory: a theory that focuses on shared values and social
norms that shape popular beliefs in the legitimacy of certain practices and
policies; this theory complements political economy theory.
28. Critical gerontology: theoretical approaches that look "within" theory and
research to critically examine and question the underlying and "taken-for granted"
assumptions of aging.
29. Post-modern theory: contrasts contemporary society with society in the
recent past; for example, older people today can take on many roles in retirement,
whereas in the past they had limited options after they retired.
30. Age effects: effects on a person's life related to physical decline or change
due to the aging process.
