![]() A person who has been outgoing and has a large circle of friends will engage in outings at an older age.A woman who has enjoyed cooking for her family throughout her life, will continue hosting family dinners when she gets older.A man who has always enjoyed reading poetry at a younger age will continue doing this when growing older.A When a hard-working and success-oriented person phases out of employment, they’re likely to continue to value an active and productive lifestyle.Įxamples of External Structures of Continuity.A devoted Christian since a young age is likely to continue practicing religion and going to the church when they get older, despite being more fragile.A person with anger issues throughout their life is very likely to get angrier and grumpier as they get older and are faced with the loss of friends and their impending deaths.A spontaneous and confident person will try to set it up right away, while a more insecure and organized person will read the instruction manual to the letter (Onega & Tripp‐Reimer, 1997). When solving a problem (e.g., how to set up a new TV), a person is likely to be able to apply decades of life experience to the task.We’ll discuss examples of both and external structures of continuity Examples of Internal Structures of Continuity Individuals’ external structures, such as relationships, activities, and social roles, help them preserve an unwavering self-concept and way of living. This allows the person to make decisions for the future based on their personal history building a connection to their past. Individuals’ internal structures, such as personality traits, ideas, emotions, and beliefs, remain unchangeable throughout their lives. They both help people adapt to the changing context of their lives and set objectives. Internal and external structures of continuityĪccording to Atchley (1971 1989), there are internal and external structures of continuity. Reserved people might prefer silent, solitary activities instead.įor another key theory of aging, consult our piece on the age stratification theory. Continuity theory would recognize that outgoing people are bound to enjoy active group tasks.Activity theory would try to get old people necessarily involved in social activities.It took a more nuanced approach to normal and positive aging. Continuity theory built upon activity theory. ![]() The more “active” one person is, the better they age.Īn individual’s activities should be reflective of previous activities, learning, and associated tasks.īoth theories describe biopsychosocial mechanisms for positive aging. Learning, acting, and adapting in later adulthood are based on prior experience (Diggs, 2008). “in making adaptive choices, middle-aged and older adults attempt to preserve and maintain existing internal and external structures and they prefer to accomplish this objective by using strategies tied to their past experiences of themselves and their social world.Ĭhange is linked to the person’s perceived past, producing continuity in inner psychological characteristics as well as in social behavior and in social circumstances.Ĭontinuity is thus a grand adaptive strategy that is promoted by both individual preference and social approval.” (Atchley, 1989) Activity vs continuity theory of aging Activity theory of agingĪccording to the activity theory of aging, successful aging occurs when older adults remain active and maintain social interactions.Īccording to continuity theory, both development and adaptation occur continuously, cumulatively, and incrementally throughout life. Simply put, older people grow and change, but their adaptation to new circumstances is linked to their past experiences and long-held values, He perceived continuity in aging as a dynamic and developmental process. ![]() In his book, Continuity and Adaptation in Aging: Creating Positive Experiences, Atchley further developed and bolstered his theory. In his article tilted A Continuity Theory of Normal Aging, he understood the process of aging as shaped by one’s personal history, values, and social interactions. ![]() ![]() Robert Atchley is considered the “father” of continuity theory. He used the concept of continuity to explain the behavior of aging individuals. George Maddox observed that older people engaged in similar activities to those of their previous life. Here’s a timeline of the development of the theory 1968 References Origins of Continuity Theory of Aging ![]()
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