activity theory

Meanings

1. A line of eclectic social science theories and research with its roots in a Soviet theory pioneered by Sergei Rubinstein in the 1930s, seeking to understand human activities as systemic and socially situated phenomena and to go beyond paradigms of reflexology and classical conditioning.
2. The theory that the human ageing process is delayed, and the quality of life enhanced, in people who stay active and maintain social interactions.