“Toward a Social Profile of the Aged Black Population in the United States: An Exploratory Study”

Abstract

A stratified random sample of black men and women aged 70 and over was developed in two high rise age segregated urban housing units. Normative activity was classified in terms of three life styles: alone, reciprocal, and nonreciprocal. An internal comparison was made with a black sample and an external comparison with a white sample differing on several major demographic characteristics. Although the modal activity pattern was to do things alone, the findings were equivocal with respect to the disengagement framework. Involvement with others tended to increase with age, and was usually of a religious or leisure time nature. Findings of this study suggest the desirability for encouraging flexible life style options.