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Psychological Models of Aging*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Johannes J.F. Schroots
Johannes J.F. Schroots
Affiliation:
University of Amsterdam
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Abstract

The field of psychogerontology is data rich, but theory poor. It will be argued that a constructivist view of science in terms of models or metaphors encourages the development of theories in the field of aging. Historically, there are three psychological models: Age, aging and the aged. The psychology of the aged is concerned with the thematic study of the problematic and non-problematic elderly. The psychology of age focuses on age differences and compares groups of people of different ages. The psychology of aging studies some typicalness of change of average functioning over time. Recent psychological models of aging emphasize degree of variability, rather than average functioning. Primary, secondary and tertiary aging patterns are presented in terms of a differential psychology of aging. A theoretical explanation of the differential aging process will be given in terms of gerodynamics, which lays the foundation of the new branching model of aging.

Résumé

Le domaine de la psychogérontologie compte une riche banque de données, mais très peu de théories. L'auteur de cet ouvrage soutient qu'une perspective fondée sur le constructivisme de la science au plan des modèles ou des métaphores favorise l'élaboration de théories dans le domaine du vieillissement. Il existe historiquement trois modèles psychologiques, soit l'âge, le vieillissement et les personnes âgées. La psychologie des personnes âgées porte sur l'étude thématique de la problématique ou l'absence de problématique chez les personnes âgées. La psychologie de l'âge, quant à elle, se concentre sur les différences entre les âges et compare les différents groupes d'âge. Finalement, la psychologie du vieillissement examine les changements typiques sur les fonctions moyennes survenant au fil des ans. Les récents modèles psychologiques sur le vieillissement mettent l'accent sur le degré de variabilité plutôt que sur le fonctionnement moyen. Les tendances primaires, secondaires et tertiaires en matière de vieillissement sont présentées sous l'optique d'une psychologie différentielle du vieillissement. Une explication théorique du processus de vieillissement différentiel est fournie en termes gérodynamiques, ce qui forme les assises d'un nouveau modèle de ramification du vieillissement.

Keywords

AgingModelsPsychologyChaosGerodynamicsBranching Model of Aging.Vieillissementmodèlespsychologiechaosgérodynamiquemodèle de ramification.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 14 , Issue 1: Models of Aging , Printemps/Spring 1995 , pp. 44 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1995

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