Sociologia e Criminologia-Acesso Aberto
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Abstrato

Viewing Life of Senior Citizen Convicts in Tihar from the Lens of Gerontological Theories

Rahul Kapoor

Ageing is a multidirectional change involving the physical, social, psychological and social spheres of a person’s existence. Ageing is not a steady state but a dynamic process. Theories of ageing, therefore, lead to a body of knowledge that facilitates the description, explanation, modification or optimization of ageing behavior.
However, it is unlikely that any one theory of ageing can fully explain the ageing process and behavior and it is evidently possible that an ageing individual can be governed by small portions of multiple theories of ageing at the same time. This phenomenon was observed when life experiences of senior citizen convicts in Tihar prison, New Delhi were recorded and then analyzed in the context of various theories of ageing including the Disengagement theory, Activity theory, Continuity theory, Role theory, Labeling theory, Exchange theory, Subculture theory and Personality theory. Activity theory came out as the strongest and the most apt conceptual framework which governs the life of senior citizen convicts while glimpses of role theory, labeling theory, subculture theory and Exchange theory could also been seen influencing the life of senior citizen convicts and their behavioral traits and attributes.