The Gerontologist, Vol 36, Issue 6 742-748, Copyright © 1996 by The Gerontological Society of America

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Theoretical developments in the psychology of aging

JJ Schroots
European Research Institute on Health and Aging, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

This article presents a summary overview of the most distinctive psychological theories of aging since World War II. Theoretical developments are broadly classified into three periods, respectively: The Classical period ('40s-'70s), represented by Developmental Tasks/Activity Theory, Psychosocial Theory of Personality Development, Counterpart Theory, Disengagement/Activity Theory, Personality Theory of Age and Aging, and Cognitive Theory of Personality and Aging; the Modern period ('70s-'90s), which includes theories on Life-span Development and Aging, Reduced Processing Resources, Personality and Aging, Behavioral Genetics and Aging; and the New period ('80s-'90s), represented by Gerotranscendence and Gerodynamics/Branching Theory. The overview ends with an outlook on psychogerontological theorizing.

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