1. In what way do you agree or disagree with Disengagement Theory? Give examples based on your readings, observations, or experiences. I somewhat agree with the disengagement theory as I believe as you get older, you should cess from your place of work to allow in younger people. An example of this would be our government. The majority age of our governing body is 65 years old; with our president being 79 years old. This theory states that this is beneficial for the individual and society by minimizing social disruption. These older adults were alive when racial tension and injustice were at an all-time high in the U.S. By the older adults not disengaging from the government, there is a social disruption with the decisions and
policies being made. This can be seen with the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Black Lives Matter, and other political disruptions. What I do not agree with this theory is that there are benefits to having older adults remain in the workforce. For example, in nursing, they need seasoned nurses to help the new graduate nurses. I am not a nurse, but I have heard that even though you go through nursing school, you learn how to be a nurse on the job. If all older adult nurses were to retire, or leave, the workforce, this does not allow the exchange of knowledge.
2. In what way do you agree or disagree with Activity Theory? Give examples based on your readings, observations, or experiences.
I agree with the activity theory as retiring is a big shift of normality in one’s life. When a person who has been working for 15+ years retires, they may feel sad or confused about what to do with life. This causes people to have retirement patterns. For example,
My dad is reaching that retirement point in his life. He has already set substitutions to replace the loss of work, such as making little house projects for us to do and entering golfing tournaments. By doing this, he is productive and has social contact in his substitutions, which his job has previously filled.
