Analiza recepcji teorii starzenia się w Polsce na przykładzie teorii aktywności i teorii wycofania

Abstract

The aim of the article is not to reconstruct two classic aging theories (activity theory and disengagement theory), but the presentation of its reception which was made by Polish scientists. The basis for this analysis is, except the need to check the current state of knowledge about aging theories, a necessity to look closer at the effects of the efforts that have been put into the reconstruction of major theoretical perspectives in social gerontology in Poland. The subject matter in the article is important because the quality of aging theories reception has a significant impact on the research. High quality of theory reconstruction should lead to its wider use, both in exploratory and verification research, for example as a source of hypotheses, research questions, as well as an explanation and understanding of the obtained data. The conclusions from the analysis revealed that the majority of aging theory receptions presented in the Polish gerontological literature are fragmentary, they do not provide rich information, and they lack the origins. Critical comments are often missing. Methods of analysis have been proposed. The suggested methods of analysis might help to increase the quality of new aging theories reception that will emerge in Poland in the future.