The disengagement theory suggests that as people age, they tend to withdraw from society, but this is controversial. Critics argue that disengagement is often enforced, not voluntary, and can lead to isolation. The theory also justifies barriers to participation in social activities for older people and ignores the history of caring for older people differently in different societies.
Disengagement theory is a model originally proposed in 1961 by William Henry and Elaine Cumming, two social scientists interested in studying aging and how interactions with other people change as people age. According to their theory, as people get older, they tend to withdraw from society, and this may be reciprocal, with society being less likely to engage and include older people. They argued that this was a consequence of people learning their limitations as they got older and making room for new generations of people to fill their roles. In modern gerontology, the study of aging and society, the disengagement theory is controversial and many people disagree with it.
According to this theory, as people get older, they tend to become more frail and their social circles narrow as they begin to detach and become less actively involved. Critics point out that often this disengagement is enforced, rather than voluntary; someone who needs to move into a nursing home, for example, experiences a reduction in her social circle as her friends may not be able to visit and may begin to die, leaving her with fewer connections.
When the disengagement theory was popular, proponents believed it explained how people prepare for death. By slowly letting go of society, the elderly were presumably preparing to let go of life as well. The researchers hypothesized that disengagement was also beneficial to society, as people moved through different roles in life and created spaces for younger ones to grow into those roles. For example, retiring allows other people to enter the labor market. As social networks shrink for seniors, young people are building their own new networks and connections.
Critics of this theory do not support certain conclusions and aspects of the theory. It could be seen as an excuse as to why society is less welcoming of older people and justifies barriers to participation in social activities for older people. A person who has to stay home with a broken hip, for example, may not want to be isolated, but may be forced to be alone because people may not be able to visit as they have their own health issues and individual may not have access to an assistant to help him exit. Similarly, older adults may not want to leave community organizations, but may have to because their planning does not meet the needs of older members.
The history of caring for older people differently in different societies also opposes the disengagement theory. At the time people were developing this theory, a centuries-old tradition of allowing older people to age at home with their families was turning into a trend of placing them in assisted living facilities and nursing homes, separating them from friends, family and community. The notion that this separation could be mutually beneficial has been challenged by elders’ rights activists, as well as sociologists who see flaws in the disengagement theory.
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