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interactionist theories of Age inequality - Coggle Diagram
interactionist theories of Age inequality
Weber theory
The market situation of the young and old, determines their social position
since the young and the old are lacking necessary skills for the workplace, they also suffer from reduced social status
however, if someone is from a higher class or status group, their experience of age will be far greater
Parkin argued that the elderly are negatively privileged status group, segregated in society and portrayed negatively in the media.
Evaluation
weber addresses the flaw in many other theories and explains why age can differ between classses
weber fails to recognise the structural causes of different level of status e.g. capitalism
interactionalist/social action theories see society as a constructed by individuals - through the way interact with others and society
Activity theory
HavingHurst argued that ageing can be helped by one's level of social activity, not inevitable that the elderly withdraw because of biology.
the more the edlerly interact with their family and society, helps their wellbeing, health and life chances
care home experiment - channel 4 - contemporary example
4 year old toddler spending some time in a care home interacting with the elderly people - it resulted in giving the elderly sense of purpose, mobility improves and the levels of mental wellbeing
Evaluation
reveals the impact of social activity and engagement on the experience of age
disengagement theory would acknowledge the activity theory fails to biological factors
Exchange theory
Turner's 'argues that every social interaction is based on a cost-benefit analysis
Because the young and the elderly do not have any social resources to share or exchange, they are given a living status
this varies between societies,. societies which value old age, for example, attach power to age and so therefore people will form relationship with the elderly
a micro approach that demonstrates how small scale individual reactions can lead to societal inequalities
ignores institutionalised ageism created from the structure of society
Labelling theory would argue that age groups can take up the labels attached to them by media and society
Victor argues that the elderly are labelled as 'useless, lonely, and unable to learn' and these stereotypes become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Stan Cohen argues that when the young are labelled as deviant by the media, this only creates more deviance.
demonstrates the impact that the media and agents of socialisation can have on the construction of labels and on the creation of inequality.
fails to explain how the label emerges in the first place. what led to the fisrt instance of behaviour
structural theories would argue that these labels are made for a reason