According to the theory of liberation, the social aspect of the process of alienation older people is inevitable, because of their position at some time have to move on to more young people, able to work more productively. Some critics called this theory the most inhuman, others ask a question: is there a 'liberation', 'disconnection' of a universal and inevitable phenomenon? This theory has largely supplanted by the current theory of activity, whose adherents claim that when aging people leave their familiar roles, their sense of loss and hurts their sense of uselessness in society. In this case prejudiced self-esteem. To maintain their morale and positive identity, they should not abandon the active life, and, conversely, do the new activity. Continuing to perform active and socially important role and communicate with others (for example, does not work at full rate after retirement or to engage in voluntary social activities), aging people maintain their mental composure.
In general, the adaptation of people to old age has a significant impact nature of their activities in the early stages of life. If the time approximation old man possessed a number of different roles, it is easier to survive the loss of the roles he played in the past. People with emotional and psychological stability and activity at the age of 30 years or more, retain vitality after 70. Adults who are prone to depression, fear and conservatism in 30 years, often disturbing the rest of his life. The authors of the theory of minority noted that the elderly – a minority in the population, which implies a low socio-economic status, discrimination, prejudice and many other phenomena that experienced by minorities.