Disengagement Theory of Aging A Critical Essay

Disengagement Theory of Aging A Critical Essay An Overview and Critique of Social Disengagement Theory There are many sociological theories that focus on the discussion of the changing roles, statuses, and relationships that accompany the process of aging and their impact on the older person’s ability to adapt. Here I am going to discuss one of the earliest and most controversial social theories of aging â€" disengagement theory that describes the process of aging as the disengagement. The theory gives disengagement definition as a process of gradual withdrawal of older people from society. The disengagement theory of aging suggests that it’s quite common and acceptable that older adults withdraw or disengage from social roles and their personal relationships as they grow old. This process is applicable to elderly people in all cultures. The theory suggests that the society recognizes that the elder people will soon die and that the society has to prepare to live and work in their absence. As a functional theory, it argues that the disengagement process is necessary and beneficial to the society because it ensures that the social system can remain stable and ordered. The theory overview Disengagement theory was developed by sociologists Elaine Cumming and Warren Earl Henry in their book Growing Old in 1961. In the book, Cumming and Henry present a logical argument on the causes that make older adults disengage from society. The scientists based their theory on a study conducted at the Chicago University and on data from a longitudinal research â€" the Kansas City Study of Adult Life that studied hundreds of adults from middle to old age. The disengagement theory gives a systematic discussion of the process of aging and describes the evolution of the elderly people social lives. The sociologists organize their argument around nine postulates that make it clear why it is reasonable for aging individuals who are aware that death is coming nearer and who have experienced deaths of their aging friends to start to expect their own deaths and disengage. The theory starts with a key idea that everyone is aware that he will die and that all people expect that their personal abilities are likely to weaken over time. As those abilities deteriorate, an aging person begins to disengage from personal and social contacts and loses touch with social norms that determine the interaction. Narrowing of a person’s social circles fuels the process of disengagement. As a result, the aging person gradually disconnects from existing social roles and responsibilities and does not take up any new ones. The process of social disengagement is influenced by an aging individual and the society. Aging people lose knowledge and skills and eventually they will not be able to meet society’s requirements for their social roles. As these changes develop, the elderly people are prompted to disengage from their responsibilities. On the other hand, the structure of society may require an elderly individual to disengage. The theory states that elderly people are ready to disengage from their roles when they lose their ego energy. The society allows the disengagement taking into account the degree to which older people are needed and considering their abilities to fulfill their social roles. According to the social disengagement theory, disengagement process differs between men and women because each gender has different social roles in society. Criticism The disengagement theory has always been strongly criticized. Most criticism challenges Cumming and Henry’s assumptions that individual’s withdrawal from society is inevitable, natural or beneficial. Many critics argue that social withdrawal of an aging person is voluntary and say that similar social disengagement can occur at any stage of a person’s life because of external factors that cannot be easily explained. Besides, social disengagement theory does not take into account a very important fact that changing economic or health conditions may influence the process of social withdrawal to say nothing of such serious mental conditions as Alzheimer’s syndrome. Some critics claim that social withdrawal does not have to be inevitable, and others point out that this process cannot be considered as culturally universal. According to social disengagement theory, its postulates are not influenced by culture but actually, the culture defines the forms that postulates may take. Conclusion Disengagement theory has no research base and lacks empirical support. Besides, many older people want to remain occupied and be involved in the life of the society. The theory has been rejected by gerontologists and social sciences because it fails to take into account many important factors. It was the first social theory of aging in modern science and being controversially received, it influenced the further development of research in social sciences and promoted the appearance of different theories about elderly people, their roles in society, and their social relationships.