There is a need for aging theories to become holistic and multidisciplinary with a life span focus. A theory is the construction of explicit explanations in accounting for empirical findings. A good gerontological theory integrates knowledge, tells how and why phenomena are related, leads to prediction, and provides process and understanding. In addition, a good theory must be holistic and take...

This chapter discusses the concept of resilience from a life span perspective informed by relational developmental systems theory. Resilience involves mutually benefi cial (adaptive) relations between characteristics of individuals (e.g., their self-regulation behaviors) and features of the ecology (e.g., resources promoting healthy development); these links may be represented as individual ←→ ...

perspectives on life span Life span should be considered within a larger biological framework concerned with life duration—a model where the end points of life for an individual do not necessarily correspond to the conventional events of birth PDR 29 Supp Carey.sp 7/6/06, 3:16 PM 1 2 L I F E S P A N : A C O N C E P T U A L O V E R V I E W and death. The concept of life span does not apply to ba...

Most people have experienced loneliness and have been able to overcome it to reconnect with other people. In the current review, we provide a life-span perspective on one component of the evolutionary theory of loneliness-a component we refer to as the reaffiliation motive (RAM). The RAM represents the motivation to reconnect with others that is triggered by perceived social isolation. Loneline...

Research in the field of aging recently has entered a new era. Model systems have begun to provide insight into cellular, molecular, and organismal changes that are related intimately to aging. One important approach has been the identification of genes that determine the life span of an organism. The very existence of genes that when mutated can extend life span suggests that one or a few proc...