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The Activity Theory of Aging Explained. How do adults stay happy as they get older? According to the activity theory of aging, older adults who remain active and are able to maintain their social interactions find the highest degrees of happiness in their lives.
In their statement of activity theory, Havighurst and colleagues assert that older individuals have the same psychological and social needs as middle‐aged people and that the social withdrawal that characterizes old age is contrary to the needs of the aging individual.
Five decades after its conception, the activity theory of aging remains a relevant and helpful psychosocial theory explaining how people develop in old age. It has been widely used in gerontological and psychological research.
The activity theory of aging, also known as the implicit theory of aging, normal theory of aging, and lay theory of aging, proposes that aging occurs with more positive outcomes when adults stay active and maintain social interactions as they get older. [1]
The Activity Theory is a psychosocial theory of aging that attempts to describe the individual and social life conditions that promote a maximum of satisfaction and happiness while the individuals adapt to the multiple challenges of aging.
The activity theory of aging proposes that older adults are happiest when they stay active and maintain social interactions. The theory was developed by Robert J. Havighurst as a response to the disengagement theory of aging.
MSA integrates the theories of activity, disengagement, successful aging, and gerotranscendence, and elaborates these by emphasizing mindfulness practice as a vital part of a sustainable healthful aging.
The emergent theory suggested transition to older age can challenge people’s sense of self and their role in life. Physical activity can help in regaining feelings of purpose, of being needed in collective group activity, and by creating habitual routine and structure to the day.
So exactly how does the activity theory of aging apply in today's society? Is it common sense to be active, and do any activities and interactions count, or only certain kinds? See how the theory has been put into action.
Activity and disengagement theories of aging were the first to use social science data to explain why some individuals, or groups, are more adaptive or “successful” in meeting the multiple and inevitable challenges of aging than other persons.