Table of Contents
Definition of Aging
(noun) The physical, psychological, and social act or process of growing older.
Example of Aging
- A child become grows from a toddler, to an adolescent, to a teenager, and then into an adult.
Types of Aging
Aging Pronunciation
Syllabification: ag·ing
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /AY-jing/
- British English – /AY-jing/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈeɪʤɪŋ/
- British English – /ˈeɪʤɪŋ/
Usage Notes
- Plural: agings
- Older people can experience ageism.
- The act or process of aging is called senescence.
- Variant spelling: ageing
Related Quotations
- “Depending on class, old age comes at different times and has different impacts. It should remain a time of creative and meaningful projects, and have positive instead of the negative cultural meanings it is usually shrouded within. The value of life should be nowhere clearer, but instead society may be guilty of treating the elderly with disdain, dehumanising them” (Macionis and Plummer 2012:420).
- “While youth and vitality are highly valued commodities in a postindustrial society, life expectancies and prospects for good health are extended. Consequently, people can be expected to work longer if they choose. Moreover, with less emphasis on work and more on service and play, postindustrial societies may offer the elderly a vast array of meaningful social roles outside the world of work” (Thompson and Hickey 2012:339).
Related Videos
Additional Information
- Aging and Social Gerontology Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Death and Dying Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “age” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Erikson, Erik. 1965. The Challenge of Youth. Garden City, NY: Anchor.
Related Terms
- age
- activity theory
- disengagement theory
- gerontology
- gerotranscendence
- hospice
- life expectancy
- role exit
- senescence
- social gerontology
- thanatology
References
Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Works Consulted
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).
Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
How to Cite the Definition of Aging
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “aging.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/aging/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
aging. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/aging/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “aging.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/aging/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“aging.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/aging/>.