activity theory

Examples of activity theory in the following topics:

• Activity Theory

  • Activity theory proposes that successful aging occurs when older adults stay active and maintain social interactions.
  • The activity theory of aging proposes that older adults are happiest when they stay active and maintain social interactions.
  • The theory assumes a positive relationship between activity and life satisfaction.
  • Havighurst's activity theory is at deliberate odds with what some perceive as the pessimism of disengagement theory.
  • However, critics of activity theory state that it overlooks inequalities in health and economics that hinders the ability for older people to engage in such activities.

• Continuity Theory

  • The continuity theory proposes that older adults maintain the same activities, behaviors, personalities, and relationships of the past.
  • The continuity theory of normal aging states that older adults will usually maintain the same activities, behaviors, personality traits, and relationships as they did in their earlier years of life .
  • Maddox and Robert Atchley are most closely associated with the continuity theory.
  • The theory is criticized primarily for its definition of normal aging.
  • The theory also fails to explain how social institutions impact individuals and the way they age.

• Social Movement Theories

  • mobilization - this is the actual organizing and active component of the movement; people do what needs to be done
  • This theory is also subject to circular reasoning as it incorporates, at least in part, deprivation theory and relies upon it, and social/structural strain for the underlying motivation of social movement activism.
  • However, social movement activism is, like in the case of deprivation theory, often the only indication that there was strain or deprivation.
  • the form of the resources shapes the activities of the movement (e.g., access to a TV station will result in the extensive use TV media)
  • Critics of the political process theory and resource-mobilization theory point out that neither theory discusses movement culture to any great degree.

• Theoretical Perspectives on Childhood Socialization

  • One of the most widely applied theories of childhood is Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
  • Piaget posited that children learn actively through play.
  • In 1979, psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner published The Ecology of Human Development, setting forth his theory known as ecological systems theory.
  • The exosystem describes the link between a social setting in which the individual does not have an active role an the individual's immediate context.
  • Contrast the various theories of childhood development, such as Freud's psychosexual theory, Piaget's stages of development and ecological systems theory

• Role Theory

  • Role theory is, in fact, predictive.
  • Many role theorists see Role Theory as one of the most compelling theories bridging individual behavior and social structure.
  • Additionally, role theory does not explain when and how role expectations change.
  • An extension of role theory, impression management is both a theory and process.
  • If a person tries to influence the perception of her or his own image, this activity is called self-presentation.

• Sources of Social Change

  • Some of the better-known approaches include deprivation theory, mass-society theory, structural-strain theory, resource-mobilization theory, political process theory and culture theory.
  • This particular section will thus pay attention to structural-strain theory and culture theory, while mass-society theory and political process theory will be discussed in greater detail later in "International Sources of Social Change" and "External Sources of Social Change," respectively.
  • Mobilization: this is the actual organizing and active component of the movement; people do what needs to be done in order to further their cause.
  • This theory is subject to circular reasoning since it claims that social/structural strain is the underlying motivation of social movement activism, even though social movement activism is often the only indication that there was strain or deprivation.
  • Both resource-mobilization theory and political process theory incorporate the concept of injustice into their approaches.

• Differential Association Theory

  • Differential association theory is the most talked-about of the learning theories of deviance.
  • This tendency will be reinforced if social association provides active people in the person's life.
  • The principles of Sutherland's theory of differential association can be summarized into nine key points.
  • An important quality of differential association theory is the frequency and intensity of interaction.
  • The amount of time that a person is exposed to a particular definition and at what point the interaction began are both crucial for explaining criminal activity.

• Sociological Theories of Deviance

  • Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance.
  • Four main sociological theories of deviance exist.
  • This approach argues that deviant behavior plays an active, constructive role in society by ultimately helping to cohere different populations within a particular society.
  • The third main sociological theory of deviance is conflict theory.
  • The fourth main sociological theory of deviance is labeling theory.

• Resource Mobilization Approach

  • The resource-mobilization approach is a theory that seeks to explain the emergence of social movements.
  • Resource-Mobilization Theory emphasizes the importance of resources in social movement development and success.
  • Resource mobilization theory also divides social movements according to their position among other social movements.
  • the form of the resources shapes the activities of the movement (e.g., access to a TV station will result in the extensive use TV media)
  • Resource-Mobilization Theory emphasizes the importance of resources in social movement development and success.

• Studying Sociology

  • Sociological studies range from the analysis of conversations to the development of theories in order to understand how the world works.
  • Sociology has many sub-sections of study, ranging from the analysis of conversations to the development of theories to try to understand how the entire world works.
  • Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity.
  • Much of what human activity falls under the category of social structure or social activity; because of this, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to such far-flung subjects as the study of economic activity, health disparities, and even the role of social activity in the creation of scientific knowledge.