This essential volume explores the vital role of communication in the aging process and how this varies for different social groups and cultural communities. It reveals how communication can empower people in the process of aging, and that how we communicate about age is critically important to – and is at the heart of – aging successfully. Giles et al. confront the uncertainty and negativity surrounding "aging" – a process with which we all have to cope – by expertly placing communication at the core of the process. They address the need to avoid negative language, discuss the lifespan as an evolving adventure, and introduce a new theory of successful aging – the communication ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA). They explore the research on key topics including: age stereotypes, age identities, and messages of ageism; the role of culture, gender, ethnicity, and being a member of marginalized groups; the ingredients of intergenerational communication; depiction of aging and youth in the media; and how and why talk about death and dying can be instrumental in promoting control over life’s demands. Communication for Successful Aging is essential reading for graduate students of psychology, human development, gerontology, and communication, scholars in the social sciences, and all of us concerned with this complex academic and highly personal topic.

This collection focuses on communication as a research, education, policy and practice issue for the development and evaluation of health services for older adults. It is intended for those studying communication, geriatrics, life span devel, cog psych.

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks, as well as studies that provide new insights by approaching language from an interdisciplinary perspective. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Birgit Sievert.

This volume provides a detailed examination of changes in technology that impact individuals as they age with an emphasis upon cultural contexts and person-environment fit from human factors, psychological, and sociological perspectives. The editors take into consideration the role of macro-influences in shaping technological changes in industrialized societies that effect successful aging in terms of quality of life. Topics discussed include: human factors and aging; the impact of the internet; and assistive technology. As a special feature, each chapter is followed by two commentaries from experts in the same and neighboring disciplines.

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the use of computerized text analysis methods to address basic psychological questions. This comprehensive handbook brings together leading language analysis scholars to present foundational concepts and methods for investigating human thought, feeling, and behavior using language. Contributors work toward integrating psychological science and theory with natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning. Ethical issues in working with natural language data sets are discussed in depth. The volume showcases NLP-driven techniques and applications in areas including interpersonal relationships, personality, morality, deception, social biases, political psychology, psychopathology, and public health.

The chapters in this volume put a human face on aging issues, and consider multiple dimensions of the aging experience with a focus on Japan.

As the oldest members of the baby boomer generation head into their retirement years, this demographic shift is having a substantial influence on uses of mass media, as well as the images portrayed in these media. Mass Media, An Aging Population, and the Baby Boomers provides a comprehensive examination of the relationship between media and aging issues, addressing mass media theory and practice as it relates to older Americans. Reviewing current research on communication and gerontology, authors Michael Hilt and Jeremy Lipschultz focus on aging baby boomers and their experiences with television, radio, print media, entertainment, advertising and public relations, along with the Internet and new media. They draw from studies about health and sexuality to understand views of aging, and present a view of older people as important players in the political process. Hilt and Lipschultz conclude the volume by addressing trends and making predictions related to baby boomers and mass media. Providing a timely and insightful examination of the linkage between mass media and aging issues, this volume will prove a valuable resource for scholars and students in media and gerontology. It is intended for use in coursework addressing such topics as mass communication and society, media and aging, media and public opinion, sociology, and social gerontology.

This third edition again brings together interdisciplinary contributions to provide a comprehensive and multifaceted resource that reflects the breadth and depth of research on family communication and family relationships. Chapters continue to address theoretical and methodological issues influencing current conceptions of family and cover communication occurring in a variety of family forms and across social, cultural, and physical contexts. This third edition includes key updates, such as: The use and influence of social media and technology in families Parenting and communication in culturally and structurally diverse families Communication and physical health of family members Managing personal information about difficult topics in families The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on family members This handbook is ideal for students and researchers interested in interpersonal and family communication, relationships, and family therapy within the disciplines of communication, social psychology, clinical psychology, sociology, and family studies.

Language, Communication, and Intergroup Relations presents the current state of knowledge at the intersection of language, communication, and intergroup relations, drawing on interdisciplinary work from the fields of communication, social psychology, and sociolinguistics. Building from that existing work, it presents a series of provocative and innovative new directions in this area. The work is organized around a series of five themes: • Language and Culture • Intergroup Communication • Intergenerational Relations • Interpersonal Accommodation • Institutional Accommodation. Within each theme, prominent scholars present reviews of the literature, which are followed by responses, reactions, and extensions from a multidisciplinary group of researchers. These responses often move beyond typical academic prose and engage with the material in novel ways, including graphical theoretical models, short personal reflections, and creative prose. It is essential reading for students and academics in the interdisciplinary fields of communication, language, and social psychology.

This second edition of the Handbook of Communication and Aging Research captures the ever-changing and expanding domain of aging research. Since it was first recognized that there is more to social aging than demography, gerontology has needed a communication perspective. Like the first edition, this handbook sets out to demonstrate that aging is not only an individual process but an interactive one. The study of communication can lead to an understanding of what it means to grow old. We may age physiologically and chronologically, but our social aging--how we behave as social actors toward others, and even how we align ourselves with or come to understand the signs of difference or change as we age--are phenomena achieved primarily through communication experiences. Synthesizing the vast amount of research that has been published on communication and aging in numerous international outlets over the last three decades, the book's contributors include scholars from North America and the United Kingdom who are active researchers in the perspectives covered in their particular chapter. Many of the chapters work to deny earlier images of aging as involving normative decrement to provide a picture of aging as a process of development involving positive choices and providing new opportunities. A recuring theme in many chapters is that of the heterogeneity of the group of people who are variously categorized as older, aged, elderly, or over 65. The contributors review the literature analytically, in a way that reveals not only current theoretical and methodological approaches to communication and aging research but also sets the future agenda. This handbook will be of great interest to scholars and researchers in gerontology, developmental psychology, and communication, and, in this updated edition, will continue to play a key role in the study of communication and aging.