This literature review addresses several issues related to the study of aging. Theoretical perspectives, research methods, and current controversies are reviewed.
One issue that has beset the development of research on aging is a definition of old age (Scanzoni & Scanzoni, 1988, p. 549). Research in the United Kingdom and the United States has found that the older a person is in a chronological sense, the later is the chronological age at which that person tends to think old age begins. The concept of old age also is affected by social stratum: lower-status persons, as an example tend to think that old age begins in the fifties, while higher-status persons tend to think that old age begins around age 65.
Advances in medical science and technology have led to increased life spans for an increasing proportion of the population; however, social development has not kept pace (Scanzoni & Scanzoni, 1988, p. 549). Thus, many among the growing numbers of older people lead increasingly less rewarding lives. Further, the increasing numbers of persons in the population aged 65 or older demand that research into aging develop methods that address the differences among age groupings within the 65 and over classification.
There also is a subjective context to aging (Scanzoni & Scanzoni, 1988, p. 550). Younger people tend to perceiving old age differently from older people, at a general level, and at a specific level all persons do not age in a uniform way. These factors also influence the study of aging.
All life-stage theories of human development are concerned with the aging process (Heikkinen, 1993, pp. 269-277). Within this context, three types of aging are involved. Biological aging refers to the manner in which the body functions over time, while psychological aging involves the individual's perceptions of the aging process, and social aging reflects the ways individuals relate aging their own unique society. Adjustments ...