This volume presents a systematic examination of the impact of social structures on individual behaviors and on their development in adulthood and old age. These papers and responses attempt to improve the reciprocal relationship between changes in social macro- and micro-structures and the process of psychological development in relation to issues of human aging. Using and combining concepts and data from various fields, this research promotes a better understanding of the effects of demographic patterns and social structures on the psychological development of adults.

This collection considers ways in which societal contexts influence aging by influencing self-regulatory processes. No one doubts that the social contexts in which individuals develop exert strong influence on life trajectories. Those born into environments that provide high quality education, supportive social relations, and economic assets do better in old age than those born into environments bereft of such resources. The extent of this influence, however, is only beginning to be revealed. Recent research shows that life experiences influence basic brain structures (e.g. the effect of musical training on neural organization) and functions (e.g. inflammatory processes), and that social embeddedness may even protect against Alzheimer's disease. Similarly, education increasingly appears to have a "real" effect on neural integrity. Thus, societal contexts may not simply open or close doors for individuals, but may influence self-regulatory processes at the most basic levels of functioning. Although social structures are generally seen as the independent variables that affect individual aging, it is also possible to think of a lifetime development of self-regulatory processes leading to behaviors in old age that can have impact on and modify societal structures. Two parts of this book consider self-regulation as the dependent variable, asking how social contexts influence cognitive, emotional, and self-regulatory processes. The third part reverses the question, treating self-regulation as the independent variable and retirement and physical health as dependent variables. In this part, consideration is given to how the effectiveness of self-regulation influences physical and economic outcomes in old age.

As our aging population grows ever larger, it is increasingly important to understand how adults age and what we can do to provide up-to-date care to ensure their well-being as an integral part of society. Leslie Morgan and Suzanne Kunkel understand that this phenomenon is about much more than just the physical or biological aspects of growing older and have put together a comprehensive text on the impact of society and sociology on the aging process. Use this text to explore the diversity of the aging population and dispel the major stereotypes surrounding the elderly. Learn about aging through all the layers of social context from family life to politics and economics. And through this approach, come to see how aging is more than just an individual process, it is a process that effects the direction of our society as a whole. For the Student: .: Web sites of interest and key terms defined at the end of each chapter.; Real life stories and essays on love, sex, music, medicine, and crime. For the Professor: .: Assignment-ready reading in a One Chapter a Week format.; Questions for discussion and review at each chapter end.; Applying Theory sections place the lesson of each chapter in a clear, real-world setting. Instructor's Guide Now Available! An Instructor's Manual for this textbook is available for those professors who have adopted Aging, Society, and the Life Course, Third Edition and can verify a bookstore order of 7 or more copies. Please email our Marketing Department at marketing@springerpub.com if you have adopted this text as you will need a password to download the guide. Please provide the name and telephone number of the bookstore that ordered the textbooks. A print version of the Instructor's Manual is also availabl

This book attempts to identify two central areas for the study of aging and the epistemological differences and continuities between them: constructions of aging (modern) and deconstructions of aging (postmodern).

Our lives are changing today, but what is the single most important factor driving these changes? This question is crucial, because attempting to answer it can guide us to an understanding of the processes that are impacting our societies. The answer will, of course, come from the historians of the future, but there is already no doubt that the advent of data is behind a radical shake-up of our way of living. Monetary assets, infrastructure, equipment, and human labor all allow wealth to be created. Data does too, and it is reasonable to consider a new production factor in this regard: data capital. This book argues that this new production factor generates innumerable economic opportunities of a nature unthought of a mere twenty years ago. These opportunities have led to the creation of a new social class composed of two subclasses: data workers and data owners. The emergence of this new class repositions existing classes, including the traditional working class and the capitalist class, creating strong divergences that threaten social cohesion. What can we do to ensure cohesion and the proper functioning of society? The book argues for the establishment of a regulatory framework and the institutions necessary if we are to open data up and, where appropriate, exchange and trade it, all on a global scale. In this regard, the state—today still playing its traditional role of framework setter, and savior when crises loom—can become an active economic player, thus creating wealth for communities.

This is Volume I of twenty-one in the Class, Race and Social Structure Series. Originally published in 1958, this is the second edition of a study that now focuses on the changing social structure of England and Wales between 1871 and 1961. The main object of this book, therefore, as it was in the first edition, is to introduce the student and the general reader to the maze of social statistics, which have become available, concerning the social structure of England and Wales. The emphasis throughout is on applied or descriptive statistics and a knowledge of statistical techniques therefore those (and they seem to be many) who have an instinctive dislike of mathematics need not be deterred from following the attempt which has been made to analyse the changing social structure with the aid of social statistics.

This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive treatment of the political economy of aging. From the founder and key thinker in the field comes a work that aims to contribute to the understanding of old age and aging in the context of problems and issues of the larger social order in America. Since Carroll Estes′ first writing on the political economy of aging in 1979, there has been growing recognition and incorporation of her critical perspective as one of the major paradigms in the field of aging. The only comprehensive book-length treatment of the subject, Social Policy and Aging addresses the globalization of capital and developments in health care restructuring. Combining social gerontological theory and major theoretical advances in work on the welfare state, this text keeps readers abreast of the new development within the discipline. Students and researchers alike will appreciate this critical perspective, widely acknowledged as one of the major paradigms in the field of aging.

Represents the first integrated effort to deal with age as a crucial variable in the social system. Of special interest to sociologists for whom the sociology of age seems destined to become a special field.

This is the first international and inter-disciplinary social science Handbook on health and medicine. Five years in the making, and building on the insights and advice of an international editorial board, the book brings together world-class figures to provide an indispensable, comprehensive resource book on social science, health and medicine. Pinpointing the focal issues of research and debate in one volume, the material is organized into three sections: social and cultural frameworks of analysis; the experience of health and illness; and health care systems and practices. Each section consists of specially commissioned chapters designed to examine the vital conceptual and methodological practice and policy issues. Readers recei

This SAGE Handbook integrates basic research on social dimensions of aging. It presents programmatic applications of research in areas not often seen in Handbooks including imprisonment, technology and aging, urban society aged, and elderly migration. The authors constitute a Who′s Who of international gerontology, and the focus on globalization and aging is unique among Handbooks today. This Handbook should be in the library of every social gerontologist. - Vern L. Bengtson, Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California This volume reflects the emergence of ageing as a global concern, including chapters by international scholars from Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. It provides a comprehensive overview of key trends and issues in the field, drawing upon the full range of social science disciplines. The Handbook is organized into five parts, each exploring different aspects of research into social aspects of ageing: Disciplinary overviews: summaries of findings from key disciplinary areas within social gerontology. Social relationships and social differences: explores area like social inequality, gender, religion, inter-generational ties, social networks, and friendships. Individual characteristics and change in later life: examines different aspects of individual aging, including self and identity, cognitive processes, and bio-social interactions and their impact on physical and psychological aging. Comparative perspectives and cultural innovations: topics include ageing and development, ageing in a global context, migration, and cross-cultural perspectives on grandparenthood. Policy issues: covering policy concerns such aslong-term care, technology and older people, end of life issues, work and retirement, and the politics of old age. This will be essential reading for all students, researchers and policy-makers concerned with the major issues influencing the lives of older people across the globe.