activity theory

(noun)

Activity theory claims that staying mentally and physically active preserves older adults happier.

Related Terms

  • disengagement theory
  • Robert J. Havighurst

(noun)

Activity theory proposes that successful aging occurs when older adults stay active and maintain social interactions.

Related Terms

  • disengagement theory
  • Robert J. Havighurst

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.
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