The basic premise of this dissertation is that racial, ethnic, and religious differences although significant, are not sufficient in and of themselves, to account for aging individuals' self-appraisal. Two distinct groups of aged, urban poor, blacks and Jews, compose the study population. The sample resided in deteriorating urban areas characterized by low income. Adjustment to old age was measured by the major dependent variables; morale, self-concept and social integration, each subdivided into four dimensions. A questionnaire was constructed for the Jews through selection of items from Faulkner and Heisel's questionnaires with adjustments made for specific group-related differences. Hypotheses were formulated regarding the relationship of designated ideal-types with the dependent variables. While the sampling strategy stratified for sex, mobility and living arrangements, significant differences were determined between blacks and Jews along various demographic dimensions. From the findings it is confirmed that religion, race and ethnicity have an impact on adjustment to old age. Current objective circumstances seem to be of secondary importance in regard to one's life satisfaction while levels of previous attainment provide important perspectives on life satisfaction. At the end of the study implications for policy planning and service delivery are presented. The need to develop measures to ascertain actual needs as a function of life circumstances and to clearly and basically comprehend the targets of particular policies is emphasized. (Author/AM)