Analyzing Elderly Issues Using Functionalism: FYA003 Assignment

This essay provides a detailed analysis of contemporary social issues affecting the elderly through the lens of functionalism. It begins by introducing the functionalist perspective, which views society as a complex system with interdependent parts working together for stability and solidarity. The essay then discusses how functionalists analyze the roles and treatment of the elderly within society, noting how societal attitudes towards the aged have evolved from agricultural to industrial contexts. It examines three main social theories within the functionalist perspective: disengagement theory, activity theory, and continuity theory, each offering different explanations for how older people navigate later life experiences. The essay concludes by emphasizing the functionalist view of society as a system held together by social agreement, contrasting it with symbolic interactionism and conflict theory, while also acknowledging criticisms of functionalism for neglecting negative social functions. The essay references various books and journals to support its analysis and arguments.

Functionalist perspective on the
contemporary social issues of the elderly.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The concept of functional perspective generally sees the community as a very complex
system whose parts can work together to promote the stability as well as solidarity. This
approach particularly looks at both the structures such as social and the social functions. The
functionalism generally addresses the society as a whole in the terms of the function of its
constituent elements such as traditions, institutions and so on. In this, the functionalism generally
stress over the importance of the social institutions for the stability of social and can implies that
far reaching the social modifications which will be socially harmful or hazardous. The
functionalists specifically believes that the elderly people in a given society or community are
particularly treated more according to the role which they play in a particular community or
society. Most of the communities can treat the elderly people with the great respect as well as
honour. The attitudes about the contributions of the aged can changed greatly as the societies are
altered from agricultural to the industrial. In this report, there is a discussion about the various
functional perspective of the social issues which make impacts over the old age group people
(Barnett and et. al., 2018).
MAIN BODY
The functionalists generally analyse how the parts of the community can work
collaboratively. The functionalists can gauge how the community's part are working together to
continue the smooth running of the community. In this, the elder people as a group are generally
the important or the crucial part of the community. The functionalist generally finds that the
people with the better resources who particularly stay active in the various other roles which can
adjust better to the older age group. There are specifically the three main social theories among
the functional perspectives which particularly were developed to illustrates that how the older
people can deal the later experiences of the life. In this, the most earliest theory in the
perspective of functionalist is the disengagement theory, which particularly propose that the
withdrawal from the society as well as the social relationships is particularly the part of growing
old. In this, there are various specific main points of the theory. Firstly, every people is
specifically to die one day, as well as because the people can effectively experiences the both
physical as well as the mental decline as the people approaches towards the death (Catalano and
et. al., 2017).

In addition to this, it is quite natural to withdraw from the peoples as well as the
community. Secondly, as the older people withdraws, they particularly receives the very less
support to meet towards the social norms. Therefore, this particular withdrawal is specifically
gendered, contains meaning that it is experienced differently among both male and females. It is
particularly because, the males specifically concentrates over the work as well as the females
specifically concentrates over their marriage and the family as well and when they withdrawal,
they remains unhappy as well as the directionless until they can adopt a role to replace their
habitual role which is quite congenial with the pursue state. In this, the thought that the older age
people generally was a distinct state in the course of life simply characterized by the various
modifications in the roles as well as activities when it is introduced first. Still, the particular
theory is no longer accepted in its very classical form. The criticism in this, typically
concentrates on the applications of the thoughts that the seniors universally and the naturally
withdraw from the communities as they grow older and this is particularly not allow for the
broad variation in the way the people can generally experiences the ageing. In context with the
activity theory, the activity levels as well as the involvement of the social are generally the key
towards this process as well as the key to happiness. In contrast with this theory, the more active
as well as involved the older age people is, more the happier they will be. The major critics of
this particular theory generally points out that the access towards the social opportunities as well
as the activity are generally not equally available to all (Bennett and et. al., 2018).
Furthermore, not every people finds the satisfaction in the presence of the others or can
take part in the various activities. The preparation of this particular theory can advise that the
active participations in the various casual activities such as the hobbies are particularly what
most can impact the later life gratification. In contrast with the continuity theory, the older age
group people generally makes the specific choices to maintain the consistency in the internal; as
well as the external structures and remaining the active as well as are involved throughout their
older years. It is generally an attempt to maintain the social balance as well as the stability by
making the decisions regarding future prospective on the basis of the social roles which are
already being developed. One of the critics of this particular theory is its emphasis on the normal
ageing that particularly interact those older age people who are with the chronic illness such as
Alzheimer's disorder (Briggs and et. al., 2018).

CONCLUSION
The functionalists generally regards the societies as a system which is particularly made
up of various different parts that specifically depends on each other. There are various different
institutions which can effectively performs the specific functions among the societies to keep
that the community going, in the similar way as the various different organs of the body can
perform the various different functions to maintain the whole. In this, the functionalist generally
believes that the community is being held together by the social agreement, in which the
members of the community can agrees upon as well as can work collaboratively to attain which s
best for all over the community. This particularly stands apart from the two very important
sociological perspectives such as the symbolic interactions that specifically concentrates on
how the people can act according to their interpretations of the meaning of their world. The
theory of conflicts also emphasize on concentrating the negative as well as conflictive and ever
changing nature of the community. The concept of functionalism generally receives the criticism
among older age group for neglecting the very negative functions of an event like divorces and
many other.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Barnett, A and et. al., 2018. Relationships between the neighborhood environment and
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Bennett, A.E and et. al., 2018. Autism spectrum disorder and transition-aged youth. Current
psychiatry reports, 20(11), pp.1-9.
Briggs, R and et. al., 2018. What is the prevalence of untreated depression and death ideation in
older people? Data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging. International
psychogeriatrics, 30(9), pp.1393-1401.
Catalano, A and et. al., 2017. Pain in osteoporosis: from pathophysiology to therapeutic
approach. Drugs & aging, 34(10), pp.755-765.
Del Giudice, M., 2019. Sex differences in attachment styles. Current Opinion in Psychology, 25,
pp.1-5.
Lee, H.R and et. al., 2017, March. Steps toward participatory design of social robots: mutual
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Month, 64(3), pp.64-91.
Shahrestani, S., 2018. Internet of things and smart environments. Cham: Springer international.
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941.
van Ingen, E., Rains, S.A. and Wright, K.B., 2017. Does social network site use buffer against
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