Question

How do interactionists and conflict theorists view aging?. How does their view differ from functionalist? (20 points).

Answer 1

1. Aging or the process of becoming older is viewed differently by different theories of aging. Interactionists, conflict theorists, and functionalists have different opinions in this regard.

• According to the interactionist view of aging, old age or aging is a behavior, which can be categorized as learned behavior. It describes society as a product of individuals and their interaction. Here the area of focus is communication-based symbols of the people. It defines social problems are those problems described by people in a society at any particular point in time.
• From the conflict theory perspective of aging, the emphasis is given to how elders, taken as a group, are at conflict with other groups of the society. According to conflict theorists, society is a 'system in competition' where conflict is always present.
• From the functionalist perspective, it is a natural process for the aged to withdraw from society and personal relationships. Here the area of focus is the role that elders have in the society and its functioning. The functionalist theory, however, differs from the other two theories. Even though the functionalist and conflict theories consider society as a whole, the functionalist theory deals more with the interconnectedness of various parts of it and the conflict theory deals with the conflict of the elders with other groups of the society. The functionalist perspective differs from the interactionist view in that interactionist theory is about the interactions and communication-related symbols of the aged and functionalism is about the functions of elders in the society.