Atchley's interdisciplinary approach has produced a text which provides the concepts, information, insight, and examples students need to achieve a basic understanding of aging as a social process. Covering the physical problems, inner experiences, and instrumental needs of the aging, Atchley examines aging on both an individual and societal level. Atchley covers major areas of theory, research, social policy, and practice in a clear and organized manner to make social gerontology accessible to students from all backgrounds. This text is the classic book for the course that continually keeps pace with the dramatic changes in the field, including new theories, research, programs, and issues. The book is organized so that individual aging, and adaptation to aging in everyday life, is examined first. Atchley then moves on to explore the needs and resource demands that aging as a phenomenon presents to society. He then delves into society's response to aging.

Preface	p. xiii
Setting the Stage	p. 1
The Scope of Social Gerontology	p. 2
What Is Gerontology?	p. 2
What Is Human Aging?	p. 4
Defining the Aging and the Older Populations	p. 5
Social Gerontology Is a Unique Field of Study	p. 9
Social Policy Issues	p. 19
Professional Practice	p. 19
Careers in the Field of Aging	p. 19
Summary	p. 20
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 22
The Demography of Aging	p. 23
Measuring Age Structure	p. 23
How Populations Age	p. 28
Growth of the Older Population	p. 29
Composition of the Older Population	p. 30
Geographic Distribution of the Older Population	p. 32
Living Arrangements	p. 33
Population Processes and the Older Population	p. 35
Summary	p. 41
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 42
The History of Aging in America	p. 43
Modernization Theory	p. 44
Aging in Colonial America	p. 47
From the Revolution to the Civil War	p. 49
The Beginnings of Industrialization	p. 53
Civil War to 1900	p. 54
1900 to 1929	p. 58
The Great Depression	p. 61
1942 to 1965	p. 64
1965 to 1980	p. 65
The 1980s	p. 67
The 1990s	p. 68
Modernization Theory Revisited	p. 69
Summary	p. 71
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 73
Basic Aspects of Individual Aging	p. 75
Physical Aging and Health	p. 76
Why We Grow Older	p. 78
Physical Consequences of Aging	p. 80
Aging and Physical Health	p. 85
Summary	p. 90
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 90
Psychological Aspects of Aging	p. 91
Aging and Specific Psychological Functions	p. 91
Adult Development: Personality, Self, and Life Structure	p. 114
Mental Disorders	p. 125
Summary	p. 128
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 130
Social Aspects of Individual Aging	p. 131
Defining Social Aging	p. 131
Social Roles	p. 132
The Cultural Life Course	p. 134
Socialization and Acculturation	p. 140
Role Anticipation and Adaptation	p. 141
Social Factors in Individual Development	p. 142
Aging and Changes in Social Context	p. 143
Lifestyles	p. 151
Summary	p. 154
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 155
Personal Adaptation to Aging	p. 157
What Is Adaptation?	p. 157
General Ways to Adapt	p. 158
Specific Adaptations	p. 162
Escape Rather Than Adaptation	p. 170
Effective Adaptation	p. 174
Summary	p. 177
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 179
Aging in Domains of Everyday Life	p. 181
Family, Friends, and Social Support	p. 182
Types of Bonding	p. 182
Family	p. 183
Friends	p. 220
Social Support	p. 224
Summary	p. 226
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 228
Employment and Retirement	p. 229
Midlife Career Changes	p. 230
Employment Problems of Older Workers	p. 234
Disability	p. 238
Bridges to Retirement	p. 239
Retirement	p. 239
The Retirement Process	p. 242
Effects of Retirement on Individuals	p. 255
Summary	p. 262
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 264
Activities and Lifestyles	p. 265
Concepts about Activities	p. 267
Activities in Middle Adulthood	p. 269
Aging and Changes in Activities	p. 271
Spheres of Activity	p. 276
What Activities Are Desirable for Older People?	p. 285
Summary	p. 286
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 287
Religion and Spirituality	p. 288
Concepts and Language	p. 290
Organized Religion	p. 292
Attending Religious Services	p. 294
Informal Religious Behavior	p. 295
Subjective Elements of Religion and Spirituality	p. 296
Conceptions of Spiritual Development	p. 299
Effects of Religion and Spirituality	p. 302
Summary	p. 306
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 308
Dying, Death, Bereavement, and Widowhood	p. 309
Defining Death	p. 310
Dealing with Dying	p. 313
Bereavement	p. 318
Death of a Spouse	p. 319
Summary	p. 324
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 326
Aging Affects Needs and Resources	p. 327
Income and Housing	p. 329
Income	p. 329
Housing	p. 343
Summary	p. 355
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 357
Health Care and Long-Term Care	p. 358
Health Care	p. 358
Long-Term Care	p. 369
Regulation of Health and Long-Term Care	p. 385
Summary	p. 390
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 392
Community Social Services	p. 394
Community Facilities That Serve Older People	p. 395
Services	p. 395
The Organization and Financing of Social Services	p. 403
Summary	p. 407
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 408
Aging and Society	p. 409
Aging in Contemporary American Society and Culture	p. 410
The Nature of Society and Culture	p. 410
Ideas about Aging	p. 412
Language	p. 412
Age Prejudice and Discrimination	p. 425
Societal Disengagement	p. 428
Age Stratification	p. 429
Ethics, Law, and Aging	p. 432
Summary	p. 434
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 436
Social Inequality	p. 437
Social Class	p. 437
Dimensions of Disadvantage	p. 441
Race	p. 441
Ethnicity	p. 449
Gender	p. 449
Multiple Jeopardy	p. 450
Summary	p. 452
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 453
The Economy	p. 454
Economic Ideology	p. 454
Economic Structure	p. 455
The Economic Functions of Retirement	p. 456
The Economics of Retirement Income	p. 457
Retirement Income in the Future	p. 462
Private Enterprise and the Aging Population	p. 466
Aging People as Consumers	p. 467
Economic Exploitation of Elders	p. 470
Summary	p. 473
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 474
Politics and Government	p. 476
Overview	p. 476
Political Activity	p. 479
Political Influence	p. 483
Making Policy	p. 496
Summary	p. 499
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 501
Epilogue: Aging and the Future	p. 502
Directions of Social Change	p. 502
Demographic Clues to the Future	p. 506
The Future of Physical Aging	p. 507
The Future of Psychological Aging	p. 511
The Future of Social Aging	p. 512
Society's Future Response	p. 517
The Future of Social Gerontology	p. 521
Summary	p. 524
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 525
Glossary	p. 526
Bibliography	p. 531
Index	p. 566
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