Brenden Weber

Aging is a natural part of life that affects everyone differently. It involves not only physical changes but also shifts in mental abilities and social roles. Understanding how aging impacts health and society is important because as the population gets older, challenges related to healthcare, social support, and quality of life become more common. Aging affects people in many different ways, including physical, mental, and social changes. For example, chronological age simply counts the years since birth, while psychological aging refers to changes in mental functions like personality and cognition. Another important aspect is social aging , which involves changes in a person’s roles and relationships with family, friends, and community groups. Sociologists have different theories to explain the aging process. The activity theory suggests that older adults stay healthier and happier when they remain socially active and engaged. On the other hand, disengagement theory says that s...

This week, we learned about three main ways sociologists look at social problems: functionalism , conflict theory , and symbolic interactionism . Functionalism, based on Émile Durkheim’s ideas, sees society like a living body where different parts, like family and schools, work together to keep things stable and peaceful. Functionalists think social problems happen when society is out of balance, but usually, small changes can fix these problems without shaking everything up. Conflict theory, started by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, looks at society as a place where different groups fight over resources and power. It focuses on unfairness and says that social problems come from these inequalities, like the gap between rich and poor. Conflict theorists believe big changes are needed to fix these problems. Feminist theory is part of this view and focuses on inequality between men and women. Symbolic interactionism is different because it looks at how people’s everyday actions and the...