Erikson's (1950) model of adult psychosocial development outlines the significance of successful involvement within one's relationships, work, and community for healthy aging. He theorized that the consequences of not meeting developmental challenges included stagnation and emotional despair. Drawing on this model, the present study uses…

The passage of time is fundamentally experienced through people's interaction with their social worlds. Life-course scholars acknowledge the multiple aspects of time-based experience but have given little attention to age identity in a dynamic context. Drawing from a stress-process model, we expected that turbulence within people's family…

Examines some of the major transitions of aging and factors that determine the individual's ability to adjust to these changes. Discusses difficulties in providing services for this group, such as developing a classification system, and indicates ways counseling services can help older persons cope with role transitions and losses. (LLL)

Although aging is a process that affects everyone, individuals can choose how they will behave as they become older. Some persons choose to focus on the negative, becoming more and more self-centered and driving away those around them, becoming a burden to themselves and to society. Others, often prompted by a midlife crisis or period of…

Uses findings from Seattle Longitudinal Study of adult cognitive development to assist discussion of event history analysis. Illustrates its application to data involving changes of states in individual behavior related to human aging. Describes hazard functions which permit assessment of future decline risk and prediction as to when individual…

Increased turbulence in the workplace is affecting the careers of an aging workforce: changed skill needs, relations with employers and coworkers, and attitudes toward retirement and aging. Study of careers beyond midlife should bear in mind that retirement is an individual decision and the aging process is unique to the individual. (SK)

This issue on counseling in the third quarter of life includes 17 articles on planning for and adjusting to retirement, traveling, aging, programs for women, employment, transitions, looking for a job, mentoring, playing, and connecting with nature. Articles focus on the third quarter as a time to respond to old calls and answer new ones. (JOW)

Describes a day-long Aging Awareness workshop in which a group of 12 elderly were involved in a poetry-writing exercise focusing on meaningful life change. Ramifications of this positive experience are discussed in view of the cultural/language barrier and traditional aging awareness issues such as reminiscence. (JAC)

The author discusses the growing need to keep older workers in the labor force and the need for vocational education to address this population's need for retraining. He presents some of the problems and recommendations for older adult training programs. (CH)

Building on interviews with 319 adults, examines cultural age "deadlines" for a series of general transitions related to education and work. Respondents indicated a rough, "normal biography" of general transitions which had flexible guidelines for how those trajectories might unfold. Relates these findings to complementary…

Identifies research issues of interest to life course and aging scholars that would be enriched by increased attention to social-psychological principles and, conversely, identification of social-psychological research topics that would be advanced by increased attention to life course and aging issues. (SNR)

Addresses the counseling needs of older persons and the response of the counseling psychology field. Dicusses gerontological counseling in relation to life transitions; counseling theory; counseling programs; group, individual and family counseling; counseling techniques; senile dementia; and outcome research. (JAC)

The theory of perspective transformation was used as a framework for a study of volunteerism among older adults, examining whether volunteering in community organizations in late adulthood brings about transformation in meaning structures in later life development, and if and how it affects aging at both the individual and societal levels. Two…

The article addresses special problems of aging in persons with mental disabilities, including needs of persons living out their lives in institutions, normalized services for community residents, early preparation for aging, and appropriate residential placement. (DB)

This paper addresses the mother-daughter relationship from the perspective of adult daughters. The first section focuses on information and myths about adult daughter-older mother relationships, including popular images and assumptions, misunderstandings, taboos, and mother-bashing. The second section describes initial research into the nature of…