It is therefore important to be able to see the social consequences of ageism and aging in different contexts. The aging population both in the United States as well worldwide is growing at an alarming rate. Ageism and aging refer to the process of ageing as well as the social views of older people. These elderly people make significant contributions and can also present challenges and problems. Young people should respect and appreciate the elderly, but there’s also a sense of ageism, which places additional responsibility on them to meet their needs (de Tavernier and al., 2019). This makes it crucial to examine this issue from the point of view of sociological theories in order to better understand how they address ageism and aging. Conflict theory is one major sociological theory that studies the effects of aging on the social environment.
The sociological concept of conflict theory examines current friction among social groups. This idea suggests that society is defined in part by the constant and never ending fight for resources. It causes conflict between different groups of society (Rauvola, 2022). The primary focus of this course is on materialistic wealth. Those in power seek to preserve their wealth from others without it. However, there’s a conflict between people who produce wealth and those that appear dormant. Conflict theory is a way to understand social relationships and interactions through the analysis of conflict humans create spontaneously. Rauvola et. al., 2002. Although conflict can be a negative thing in some cases, it’s necessary to maintain the balance within societies and increase productivity among individuals as they seek out resources or defend their advantage.
The conflict theory of ageism and aging posits society to be constantly at odds for finite power and resources. According to this notion, the elderly compete with other groups, such as the younger population, for resources and substantial social influence (Hovermann & Messner, 2022). The elderly feel marginalized due to their insignificant contributions to society. This competition for resources and power can escalate into conflicts, resulting in the loss of social integration among the elderly, and the consequent distribution of these resources. As a result, the elderly population feels marginalized to the extent that they have to face obstacles in their way that could negatively impact their ability or health.