Growing Old

(noun)

In the 1961 book Growing Old, Cumming and Henry formulated the disengagement theory of aging. It was the first theory of aging that social scientists developed.

Related Terms

Examples of Growing Old in the following topics:

  • Disengagement Theory

    • It was originally formulated by Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henry in their 1961 book Growing Old.
    • In Growing Old, Cumming and Henry develop a logical argument for why older adults would naturally disengage from society.
    • To satisfy these demands, age-grading ensures that the young possess sufficient knowledge and skill to assume authority and that the old retire before they lose their skills.
    • Analyze the nine postulates of growing old and the impact at each stage for the elderly in society

  • Composition of the Older Population

    • The elderly proportion of the population is growing around the world, but it is greater in developed countries.
    • The number of individuals living into old age is growing worldwide.
    • Biological markers for old age (such as wrinkles, grey hair, memory loss, etc.) exist, but old age can also be defined by when an individual begins to fill certain social roles, such as becoming a grandparent or retiring.
    • Nevertheless, the fact is that people are living longer and are therefore more prone to encounter issues associated with old age.
    • As soldiers returned from war, families began to grow.

  • Global Aging

    • The people who were born during a population surge in the 1950s–1960s are beginning to reach old age, draining the country's Medicare and social security reserves as they claim their benefits.
    • As more people in a nation's population reach old age, its healthcare and social security system will be strained.
    • Growing life expectancy is not the only factor contributing to global aging.
    • This, combined with higher life expectancies, means that the ratio of old to young people will grow and the population as a whole will age.
    • These two trends, stemming from the growing global economy, cause global aging.

  • Culture Shock

    • During the honeymoon phase, the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light.
    • After some time (usually around three months, depending on the individual), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety.
    • Again, after some time, one grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines, marking the adjustment phase.

  • Fertility

    • To estimate how quickly a population is growing, demographers must know how frequently people are added to the population by being born, so they measure fertility.
    • General fertility rate (GFR) is the number of births in a year divided by the number of women of childbearing age (usually 15 to 49 years old, or sometimes 15 to 44 years old), times 1000.
    • It assumes that all of the baby girls will grow up and live to at least age 50.
    • NRR is always lower than GRR, but in countries where mortality is very low, almost all the baby girls grow up to be potential mothers, and the NRR is practically the same as GRR.

  • Age

    • Chronological aging may also be distinguished from "social aging" (cultural age-expectations of how people should act as they grow older) and "biological aging" (an organism's physical state as it ages).
    • While aging is often associated with declining health, current research suggests there are some things people can do to remain healthy longer into old age.

  • Industrialization and the Graying of the Globe

    • However, while the trend of a growing older population appears the world over, people in industrialized nations are older than people in non-industrialized nations.
    • Better living conditions and healthcare both limit the infant mortality rate, which is the percentage of children who die before turning one year old, and extend the average life expectancy.

  • Protestantism

    • Followers of Edwards, and other preachers of similar religiosity, called themselves the "New Lights" in contrast to the "Old Lights," who disapproved of their movement.
    • By the 1770s, the Baptists were growing rapidly both in the North (where they founded Brown University), and in the South.
    • The Federal Council of Churches, founded in 1908, marked the first major expression of a growing, modern ecumenical movement among Christians in the United States.

  • The Earliest Cities

    • Among the early Old World cities, one of the largest was Mohenjo-daro, located in the Indus Valley (present-day Pakistan); it existed from about 2600 BCE, and had a population of 50,000 or more.
    • Some ancient cities grew to be powerful capital cities and centers of commerce and industry, situated at the centers of growing ancient empires.
    • A good environment includes clean water and a favorable climate for growing crops and agriculture.

  • The Older Years

    • Old age cannot be exactly defined, but it is often associated with certain activities, such as becoming a grandparent or entering retirement.
    • The boundary between middle age and old age cannot be defined exactly because it does not have the same meaning in all societies.
    • People can be considered old because of certain changes in their activities or social roles.
    • Traditionally, the age of 60 was generally seen as the beginning of old age.
    • He characterizes old age as a period of "Integrity vs.