Modern biological theories of aging in humans fall into two main categories: programmed and damage or error theories.
Endocrine Theory, where biological clocks act through hormones to control the pace of ageing. Immunological Theory, which states that the immune system is programmed to decline over time, leading to an increased vulnerability to infectious disease and thus ageing and death.
Modern biological theories of aging in humans currently fall into two main categories: programmed and damage or error theories.
Cellular Clock Theory: This theory suggests that biological aging is due to the fact that normal cells cannot divide indefinitely. This is known as the Hayflick limit, and is evidenced in cells studied in test tubes, which divide about 40-60 times before they stop (Bartlett, 2014).
Biological theories can be classified into three types: (1) those that attempt to differentiate among individuals on the basis of certain innate (i.e., those with which you are born) outward physical traits or characteristics; (2) those that attempt to trace the source of differences to genetic or hereditary ...
Some well known biological theories include the theory of evolution by natural selection, the cell theory (the idea that all organisms are made of cells), and the germ theory of disease (the idea that certain microbes cause certain diseases).
Biological theories have focused on body type, genetic factors, studies of twins to differentiate between genetic and social factors, and studies of chromosome variations. This literature suggests that criminality is genetically transmitted through the family. Psychological theories also focus on the individual.
The components of theory are concepts (ideally well defined) and principles.
The most widely accepted overall theory of aging is the evolutionary senescence theory of aging. Unlike the earlier programmed theory of evolution and aging, which tried to findreasonswhyevolutionmight favor aging, evolutionary senes- cence theory focuses on the failure of natural selection to affect late- life traits.
The three major theories of aging are disengagement theory, activity theory, and social clock theory. Some concepts are shared among the three theories, but each one presents an individual perspective on the aging process.
Germ line. The first modern theory of mammal ageing was formulated by Peter Medawar in 1952. This theory formed in the previous decade with J. B. S. Haldane and his selection shadow concept.
Wear and tear theory asserts that cells and tissues simply wear out. Rate of living theory is the idea that the faster an organism uses oxygen, the shorter it lives. Cross-linking theory states that cross-linked proteins accumulate and slow down the body's processes.
Three major theories of the aging individual are disengagement theory, activity theory, and continuity theory. Each focuses on the individual person and the psyche in adapting and adjusting to changes associated with growing old.
Theories of Cognitive Aging
Some theorists believe that the process of changing cognition with age is related to a cohort effect that allows successive generations to perform better on cognitive testing, simply based on environmental differences without any real difference in cognition between the groups.
Grand theories of development include psychoanalytic theory, learning theory, and cognitive theory. These theories seek to explain much of human behavior, but are often considered outdated and incomplete in the face of modern research.
The two primary functions of a theory are to explain and predict phenomena. Theories provide explanations for why certain things happen and help us understand the underlying mechanisms or processes involved. They also allow us to make predictions about future occurrences based on our understanding of how things work.
An example of the biological approach to psychology would be the fear response. The fear response gives way to fight, flight, or freeze behaviors. Which course of action an individual takes in the presence of a stressor relies on their biological make-up.
(1) Natural/Biological Theory: Those who belong to the Natural School interpret sexual harassment as a natural sexual attraction between people. According to this model, men have stronger sex derives, and are therefore, biologically motivated to engage in sexual pursuit of women.
A: The modern biological theories focus on genetic and neurological characteristics. Due to their crossover to other disciplines, including the sociological theory of crime, new approaches were born, e.g., biosocial views.
Biological aging refers to the physical changes that accompany the aging process, while psychological aging refers to the psychological changes that occur. Social aging refers to the changes in a person's roles and relationships as the person ages.
In broader terms, aging can be broken down into three distinct and often related categories: biological aging, psychological aging, and social aging.
There is much debate among researchers about the mechanisms that contribute to the ageing process. However, it is widely accepted that damage to genetic material, cells and tissues that accumulates with age and cannot be repaired by the body is the cause of the loss of function associated with ageing.
In this module, however, we will only discuss three major theories of aging: cellular senescence, DNA damage, and telomere shortening.
Evolutionary theory suggests that aging is an inevitable consequence of the evolved anatomical and physiological design of the body. Physiologic theories of aging identify specific molecules, macromolecular systems, organelles, or systemic signaling which may contribute to the aging phenotype.
The disengagement theory is the process of individuals withdrawing and isolating from prior social interactions due to age. This is one of the oldest theories put forth, and was originally posited around the 1950s.