Answer to Question #309229 in Sociology for joe

Question

discuss in detail three biological and three sociological age theories of your choice

Answer 1

As many as 300 or more aging theories have been presented in the literature over the past several decades; however, not all have stood up to scrutiny and in-depth scholarly investigation. The major biological theories that attempt to explain the individual differences in aging fit into one of two categories: genetic aging, which presumes that aging is predetermined or programmed, and nongenetic aging, which presumes that aging events occur randomly and accumulate with time. The three biological theories of aging include;

(i) Programmed aging theory which argues that the human body has an inherited internal “genetic clock” that determines the beginning of the aging process. This genetic clock may manifest as a predetermined or limited number of cell divisions, called the Hayflick limit (also known as replicative senescence or cellular senescence).

(ii) Somatic mutation theory According to the somatic mutation theory, stochastic (random) chromosomal changes occur as a result of miscoding, translation errors, chemical reactions, irradiation, and replication of errors; these mutations result in changes in the ribonucleic acid (RNA) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) code sequences.

(iii) Wear and tear theory which The wear and tear theory proposes that cumulative damage within the body leads to the death of cells, tissues, organs, and, finally, the organism. Wear and tear are natural from living things to inanimate objects, and organisms are able to repair wear and tear. The wear and tear theory is studied with identical twins.

On the other hand, sociological theories of aging include;

(i) Activity Theory. The activity theory was proposed as an alternative view of the disengagement theory to explain the psychosocial aging process. The activity theory has received a great deal of criticism in that it excludes elders’ physical well-being, past lifestyle, and personality attributes. It also does not account for the value or the personal meaning that the elder may find in activities.

(ii) Continuity Theory. The premise of the continuity theory is that elders adapt to changes by using strategies to maintain continuity in their lives, both internal and external. Internal continuity refers to the strategy of forming personal links between new experiences and memories of previous ones. External continuity refers to interacting with familiar people and living in familiar environments.

(iii) Disengagement Theory. Disengagement occurs when people withdraw from roles or activities and reduce their activity levels or involvement.