Approach to a Life History

This article explores how the processes and social structure of society influence the experiences of old age and aging. It includes a life history of Mary, a 70-year-old woman, and how her social context, education, and family have influenced her aging process. The article also discusses the conflict theory and how it applies to the aging process.

Running head: APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 1
Approach to a life history
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APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 2
Introduction
The person chosen for the study is Mary, a woman who is aged 70 years. Mary lives with
her two grandsons, daughter in- law and her son. In the society, media tend to associate elderly
people with a lot of negative cultural attitudes (Rowe & Kahn, 2015). The community glorifies
the youth linking them with sexuality and beauty. The roles in the society are not appreciated as
compared to that of children. Many people associate aging with hostility. Biological function
about numbers of years does not only reveal the age of a person lived but also the expectations
and social norms that were used in each phase of life. Many aspects that are associated with
aging depend on gender, education, race, social class and other related social factors that affect
the presence of an individual. There are many stereotypes and assumptions about aging in the
society. Each culture has its assumptions and expectations about aging which contribute the part
of socialization in the community. The main aim of the article is to understand how the
processes and the social structure of the society influence the experiences of old age as well as
aging.
Methodology
The methods used to collect information from Mary were face to face interviews,
questionnaires and focused the discussion. The method of data collection is determined by the
information needed (Svensson et al, 2016). The interview mainly focused on the health,
education and work aspect of Mary. Through the interview, Mary revealed that he suffered from
hypertension when she was 65 years. She has been receiving medication and changed her eating
habit. She is educated and graduated with a degree in Psychology. In her lifetime, she has
worked in rehabilitation centers and hospitals. She provides counseling to people with mental

APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 3
disorders. Questionnaires were used to gather information about the age, marital status,
nationality, college attended and some children. There was also a discussion with her family
members on how they take care of their old parents and make sure all the necessities are
provided. There were about 15 questions, and the interviewee was free to ask any question. The
interview was lively, and Mary enjoyed sharing her life history.
Interviewee profile
Mary is aged 70 years, and she is a family friend. I have been a friend with Mary for
more than ten years. She has taught me many things such how to relate well to others in the
society. Mary is my neighbor, and I have a good relationship with her. She is known to be
jovial, welcoming, generous and kind. Many of the old people are associated with hostility, but
her case is different. She is a widow, and her husband died ten years ago due to cancer. Since
the death of her husband, she has been living happily with the family of her son. She enjoys the
company of her grandson John and James who they like playing with. She is a white American
but currently living in India where they were living before the death of her husband.
Life history of Mary
Mary was born in the family of two children. She attended Harvard University and
graduated in a Bachelor degree in Psychology. She had passion in helping people with mental
illness. From her passion and commitments, she has been able to help many people in United
States as well Indians. She got married when she was 25 years to Mark Orton. She enjoyed her
marriage till the death of her husband. In the interview, she said that the death of her parents
when she was fifty years affected and changed her responsibility. She had to take care of the
property which she inherited from her parents. All activities had to run accordingly despite the

APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 4
death of her parents. Between 1975- 1779, she worked as a volunteer where she provided
counseling to people who were exposed to traumatic events such as war. Most of her clients were
those involved in 2rd World War as well as those who were affected by catastrophes such as
earthquakes. She was motivated to work hard so as to help other people realize their worth in the
society despite of the challenges they were facing. In 1980- 1985, She worked in Nimhans
hospital, Bangalore as a chief psychiatrist. She provided counseling as well as therapy to people
with mental illness. She worked hard and ensured that all the patients have been attended
according to their desires. She was rated the best counselor in 1992 because of her continuous
commitments and passion to serving people with mental problems. In 2008, she retired from her
worked and went to stay at home with her son’s family, Mark Orton. She has been living with
them and enjoying the company of her grandsons John and James.
Social context role
Old age is highly influenced by the social factors of the individual such as education,
health, work and social networks (Harridge & Lazarus, 2017). The history of Mary was clearly
understood due to her ability to communicate well. Mary is educated and has the capability of
illustrating ideas very well. The educational system made her conversant with research which
people do and the ethics related to it. Communication is the key to collecting enough and valid
data. Mary was willing to respond according to the information ask because she understood the
importance of the research to the community. Secondly, the kind of job she had been doing. She
has been working as psychiatrist and a counselor in different institution. The type of work a
person does can influence how he or she will relate with others (Jackson, 2015). The
relationship with people helps in data collection helps the respondent to deliver the information
required. Thirdly, family of the interviewee also helped in getting information about her. There

APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 5
was a discussion with the family members where the data was collected on the budget of the old
women. It also covered the challenges encountered when taking care of the old age. Furthermore,
social economic status of Mary helped her to live a healthy life. She was able to afford most of
the medical needs. When she suffered hypertension, she was able to get early medical diagnosis
and treatment. She changed her lifestyle and adapted to the new lifestyle. Mary is White
America and she looked for the medical solution in American when realized that her body had
problem. She was economically stable and could afford most of her necessities. The condition
allowed Mary to take care of health status because she could afford most of her health needs.
Education also shaped the life of Mary especially on the relationship with other. She understood
how to establish a good relation with the clients. When she was in Harvard University, she was
able to interact with people from different social and cultural background. The culture of the
people determines how they age. Some of the cultures give value to age people and helps them
appreciate their aging period. The culture of Mary allowed her to enjoy her life and interact with
other people.
Theoretical analysis
The theory selected for this instance is Conflict theory which has macro analysis level.
The theory focuses the competition that exists for the scarce resources (Denzin, 2017). The elite
take control of the weak and poor and tend to dedicate what they should be done. It shows how
the society is full of inequality based on the gender, social class and education. A social change
is required to eliminate or reduce existence of social inequality and enhance egalitarian in the
society. Society is made up of people of various social classes and they compete for material,
political and social resources such as education, employment, housing and food. The conflict
that exist in the society act as a mean for change and conflict is important for social revolution

APPROACH TO A LIFE HISTORY 6
(Whitty, 2017). The conflict make people struggle for the limited resource and work hard so as to
achieve the best. The rich and high social class people tend to have power over the poor people
and influence the decision made about them. The theory explains the experiences and the life
which people go through in the stages of life. The economic class of an individual can dedicate
the kind of lifestyle he she will live which will consequently influence the aging period. A
successful aging is linked to good healthcare (Ritzer & Stepnisky, 2017). The medical needs of
the old people are addressed according to social class, social support provided by the family
members and education. People who can afford good medical conditions have the high
probability of living long live because their health requirements are always given priority.
Conclusion
The aging process of a person is influenced by the social class, education, family
members and gender. The needs of the old people should be adequately addressed to increase
their life duration. Mary who is 70 years is educated, and she understands the diversity of
culture. She has worked with different people and knows how to communicate very well, a factor
that contributed to the success of the interview. She was able to respond to most of the questions
accordingly and the information produced was accurate. Conflict theory focuses on how
individual struggle for the scarce resources. The rich and wealthy individuals continue to
dedicate the life of the poor and the weak.

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References
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Jackson, M. J. (2015). Redox regulation of muscle adaptations to contractile activity and aging.
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Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2017). Modern sociological theory. SAGE Publications.
Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (2015). Successful aging 2.0: conceptual expansions for the 21st
century. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 70(4), 593-596.
Svensson, R. B., Heinemeier, K. M., Couppé, C., Kjaer, M., & Magnusson, S. P. (2016). Effect
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