Successful Aging: A Developmental Approach

This article examines previous perspectives on successful aging and presents a new alternative to illustrate how a developmental orientation adds new challenges and dimensions to the task of growing old successfully.

Abstract

The unique challenges and growth processes of middle and late adulthood have not been fully incorporated into previous studies of successful aging. This article examines earlier conceptualizations of successful aging and calls for a reformulation that is more responsive to developmental processes and theoretical guidance. Issues of operational definitions, selective sampling, and stage theory are discussed, and the perspective is illustrated with empirical research in the personality realm.