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continuity theory

Definition of Continuity Theory

(nounTheory asserting that middle-aged and older people adapt their lives to maintain the same activities, social relationships, and ways of thinking (e.g., beliefs, values) as they age.

Examples of Continuity Theory

  • An elderly individual continues to run for exercise but does so in a less strenuous manner.
  • Middle-aged people that stay in contact with friends from their childhood or university years.

Continuity Theory Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: con·ti·nu·i·ty the·o·ry

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /kahn-tuh-nOO-uh-tee thEE-uhr-ree/
  • British English – /kon-ti-nyOO-i-tee thIUH-ree/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˌkɑntəˈnuəti ˈθiəri/
  • British English – /ˌkɒntɪˈnju(ː)ɪti ˈθɪəri/

Usage Notes

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Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Continuity Theory

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “continuity theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/continuity-theory/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

continuity theory. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/continuity-theory/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “continuity theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/continuity-theory/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“continuity theory.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/continuity-theory/>.