Activity Theory of Aging Essay - 4128 Words

RUNNING HEAD: ACTIVITY THEORY Activity Theory of Aging Long Island University-C.W. Post Campus Jennifer L. Bifulco Throughout this semester we have come across many psychological and social theories. From Vaillant’s aging well, to Erikson’s life stages, to Leont’ev’s activity theory, there is a lot to learn and to understand. For the purpose of this paper, I am going to focus on the Activity Theory of aging. After some thorough research on this topic I was able to come up with some great information about this theory that I will incorporate into this paper and make you understand the theory that way that I understand it. Activity Theory (AT) was initially developed by Leont’ev during the twentieth century in the former†¦show more content†¦The third principle is mediation. The Activity Theory states that human activity is mediated by tools. Tools are created during the development of the activity itself and they carry a certain culture. Tool use influences the nature of external behavior and also the mental functioning of each person. The fourth principle is the hierarchical structure of activity. The hierarchy has three levels; activity, action, and operation. Figure 1. Below shows Leont’ev’s structure of human activity. Activities can be broken down into goal-directed actions that have to be undertaken in order to satisfy the object. Actions are conscious and happen automatically. The Activity Theory maintains the elements of the activity. The elements are not fixed but they can change as conditions change. The last principle is development. In Activity Theory, development is not only an object of study, it is also a research method. Research methods in AT is not comprised of actual lab experiments, but the experience of active participation and the monitoring of developmental changes of the study participants. All of the five principles should be looked at as a whole system, because they are associated with various aspects of the whole activity. ACTIVITY --------( MOTIVE ACTION --------( GOAL OPERATION --------( CONDITIONS Fig. 1 The Structure of Human Activity An activity is started by a motive such as a need or a drive. An activity is made up ofShow MoreRelatedThe Activity Theory Of Aging933 Words   |  4 Pages1) The article from The Gerontologist supports the activity theory of aging. This states that as people age, it is very important for them to be engaged in various activities and social roles. As described in the lecture, studies have shown that those who stay involved have less signs of depression and have a lesser decline in mental health. In addition, they are considered more competent than others in their age group by the general population since they are actively participating in society. 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