The Gerontologist, Vol 34, Issue 6 764-767, Copyright © 1994 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Lives through the years revisited

GL Maddox
Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710.

Williams and Wirths' distinctly sociological study of older adults provides a useful insight into the theory and methods of early interdisciplinary research on social aspects of adulthood and aging in the United States. The Kansas City Study of Adult Life, particularly the concept of disengagement developed there, figured prominently for two decades in theoretical discussions of development in later life. In this sociological presentation, Parsonian action theory is used to develop a framework for assessing the structured interaction of persons and social context, and the autonomy and persistence of life styles which provide a basis for predicting successful aging.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G Netuveli, R D Wiggins, S M Montgomery, Z Hildon, and D Blane Mental health and resilience at older ages: bouncing back after adversity in the British Household Panel Survey J Epidemiol Community Health, November 1, 2008; 62(11): 987 - 991. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]