A.M. Khan — National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.

In recent years, enormous loka sangraha, i.e., social issues are emerging in different areas. Most challenging changes are taking place in the rhythm of family and in its interactional dynamics. Physical distancing amongst family members is widening due to massive migration within and between countries, some for education and other for employment. The existing trend indicates that youth of all classes are shifting from rural to urban areas along with their family and leaving the aged parents at the place of origin, some under unavoidable compulsions and some deliberately. In the rural areas, migration is the main driving force, whereas in the urban areas, indifference, scarcity of space and break down of joint family system appear to be major factors. All these issues are making the elderly more and more vulnerable physically, psychologically, socially, and economically. The existing theories of human behaviour do not explain why and how the images of the same person, over three main stages of life, change. How do we explain this phenomenon? Are these completely learned behaviours or are they recognized as a law of nature? Such issues require deeper analysis to explain these aspects of human behaviour. The present conceptual paper deals with these issues and comes out with a theoretical framework to account for the same.

Email the author: "Dr. Abdul Majeed Khan " <khan_khan9@rediffmail.com>