有關老化過程的解釋，社會老年學理論已提出許多理論觀點。撤離理 論強調：社會與老人相互將彼此的許多關係分開，活動理論則認為：依然從事社 會活動的老人會決定其老年生活的品質。次文化理論將老人視為一種不同的次文 化，持續理論則堅信：當人們能持續其早期生活所經歷的與認定的有益角色與活 動時，他們會有最好的年齡角色變遷之適應。衝突理論假定：由於權力的喪失， 老人因此位居附屬的社會地位，交換理論則解釋：老人權力的縮減是他們在社會 交換過程中被其他社會成員貶抑的結果。 其實，這些理論在解釋老人實際生活上是互補的。雖然它們可能部分重疊，但是， 每個理論都各有其強調重點。由於老人面對許多需要立即解決的問題，因此，社 會老年學的研究領域也經常是應用的，而非純粹的理論取向。值得注意的是：老 年研究者在尋求有效解決之道上已投注相當多的時間與心力，但是，更廣泛的理 論問題則經常被忽視。基於理論與實用整合的考量，未來社會老年學似乎還有繼 續努力與突破的空間。 本文的主要目的在試圖勾勒老化社會理論的概要，並且探討從這些理論觀點所衍 生的某些問題與論題。本文指出：21世紀將預示世界人口變遷的來臨，全球65 歲以上老年人口也將明顯增加。這種銀髮趨勢必將帶來戲劇性的政治、經濟與社 會衝擊，台灣社會與文化的所有層面也將受其影響。面對未來的老化過程，為了 妥善處理許多老人問題與難題，不同的社會服務模型與福利政策考量是必要的。

　　　　　A number of social theories have been developed to explain the aging process. Disengagement theory suggests that society and the elderly mutually sever many of their relationships, whereas activity theory argues that elderly people remain socially active determines the quality of their lives in old age. Subculture theory sees the elderly as a distinct subculture, while continuity theory holds that people adapt best to age role changes when they able to continue roles and activities that they experienced and found rewarding earlier in life. Conflict theory assumes that the elderly places in a subordinate social status due to loss of power, and exchange theory explain that the decreased power of the elderly is a result of their devaluation as partners in social exchange. These theories are supplementary in explaining the actual life of the elderly. Although they overlap, each has its unique emphasis. Older people face so many problems that demand immediate solutions, research in the field of social gerontology thus has often been applied rather than purely theoretical. In other words, researchers have invested much of their time in seeking effective social solution, often neglecting the broader theoretical questions. The main purpose of this article is intending to make a sketchy review on social theories of aging and some issues emerged from their theoretical arguments. It is argued that the twenty-first century will usher in changing demographics, and the over-65 population will increase dramatically throughout the world. This graying trend promises to have dramatic political, economic and social impact, and it will affect virtually all aspects of Taiwanese society. Also, this article show that different models of social service and welfare policies for the elderly have been implemented to cope with many problems and difficulties encountered in the aging process in the future.