Bengston: Problem of Theory in Gerontology Today
What are biological, psychological, and sociological?
Damage accumulation and Resilience strategies
What two things does the author propose that aging can be seen as the dynamic ratio of?
The three things that O’Rand is looking at across the lifespan
What are health, aging, and social inequality?
Although aging is often assumed to be an inevitable process of decline, researchers argue that this broader perspective is needed to explain cultural variability in older adults’ health
What is a psychosocial approach to aging?
Currently much research neglects the heterogeneity in aging health by lumping together older adults that are still well-functioning and those with health problems into the “older adults” category and claims that they are tracking “normal” aging.
What is the critique of NOT dividing older persons into categories of diseased, normal, and successful aging?
The life-course perspective and the age stratification perspective are perspectives on aging that come from this field
What is the sociology/sociological perspective?
Organ-specific damage markers, Damage-accumulation markers, Resilience mechanism markers, Neutral age-related proteins
What are the four categories of protein biomarkers?
2 of the 4 main research programs that O’Rand mentioned.
What are Education-health, Fundamental cause, CAD theory, CI
These four components are the pillars of the theory that explains how internalized cultural stereotypes about aging shape health across the life span.
What are: 1) Stereotypes become internalized across the life span. 2) They can operate unconsciously. 3) They gain salience when self-relevant. 4) They influence outcomes via psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways?
Because it highlights heterogeneity within age groups, reveals that some age-related changes are modifiable or even reversible, and identifies factors that explain resilience and positive outcome
What is the authors' reason for thinking that studying successful aging vs usual aging is important?
This theory examines public policies, economic trends, and social structural factors in order to understand variations in the treatment of older adults and their health status.
What is the political economy of aging theory?
Something undervalued but may be the breakthrough therapeutic target in aging research mirror stoic philosophy
What are the body’s resilience mechanisms?
CAD theory looks at this over the lifespan
What are cumulative advantage and cumulative disadvantage?
According to stereotype embodiment theory, these are the two levels at which social cues make age stereotypes self-relevant.
What are interpersonal and institutionalized levels?
The social, economic, and health benefits that would result from advances in research, intervention, and treatment to extend the period of healthy life.
What is the longevity dividend?
Erikson’s developmental explanations of aging fall under this category of theory.
What is “personality and aging theories” or “psychological theories of aging”?
Omics-based method: proteins, metabolites, epigenetics, DNA, transcriptomics, etc.
What is the alternative method used when measuing direct outcomes (e.g. frailty, disability, mortality) require too much time and cost to track?
This research program looks at how SES “propels the aging process”
What is fundamental cause?
These are the three pathways through which cultural age stereotypes affect health: 1) shaping expectations as self-fulfilling prophecies, 2) influencing health behaviors, and 3) altering stress physiology.
What are the psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways?
While psychologically based models, such as Carstensen’s socioemotional selectivity theory, focus on how people adapt to the changes of aging, this model describes what successful aging looks like
What is the MacArthur model of successful aging?
One reason it’s important to be explicit about assumptions in research or program design.
Varies.
Concerns around fair access, protection of personal data, and the risk of over-medicalizing natural life processes.
What are ethical concerns in biomarker-driven care?
One reason inequality is relevant to theories of aging
Varies
Can you think of an example from your own family, community, or media where age stereotypes may have shaped someone’s health or well-being? How might the outcome have been different under more positive stereotypes?
Ex: [personal narrative] many older adults avoid using technology because they’ve been told “old people can’t learn new things.” This stereotype makes some seniors reluctant to try smartphones or online health platforms, which limits their access to telehealth, fitness apps, and social connection.
MacArthur model emphasizes avoiding stigma toward those who do not meet narrow standards of “aging well.”
What is a reason for the call for a more inclusive definition of successful aging?