Gerontology in the Era of the Third Age: Implications and Next Steps / Edition 1

by Dawn C. Carr PhD, Kathrin S. Komp PhD (C)

Overview

The "third age" is described as the period in the life course that occurs after retirement but prior to the onset of disability, revealing a period in which individuals have the capacity to remain actively engaged. This book serves as a comprehensive discussion about how the emergence of the third age has changed the way we think about and examine traditional frameworks regarding aging issues and the life course. It introduces the discussion of the unique challenges and opportunities that older adults face while moving through this early phase of later life, proposing new frameworks, concepts, and methods to re-examine later life in the context of the era of the third age.

This book proposes new ways of thinking about how we conceptualize the life course, think about the role of the welfare state in the lives of older people, negotiate social roles in later life, make meaning of our lives as we age, and cultivate relationships with others during later life. It brings together theoretical concepts and frameworks, methodological advances, and emerging themes and controversies that are redefining gerontology in the era of the Third Age. Highlighting important issues that warrant further exploration and discussion, this book advances our understanding of the Third Age and focuses attention on critical issues that should be addressed in future Third Age research and scholarly development.

Key Features:

• Includes up-to-date description and analysis of the third age as a concept, life phase, and social status
• Addresses multiple perspectives to illustrate the impact of the third age on the way we examine later life
• Uses disciplinary perspectives such as social policy, demography, gerontology, sociology, social work, anthropology, and social psychology
• Examines mechanisms that stratify the older population in the context of the third age

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826105967
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/22/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Dawn C. Carr, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Program for Health and Aging Research (CPHAR) based at the Institute on Aging at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kathrin S. Komp, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Table of Contents

Foreword Suzanne R. Kunkel

Introduction: Gerontology in the Era of the Third Age: New Challenges and New Opportunities Dawn C. Carr and Kathrin Komp

Part I: Theoretical Development and Frameworks in the Era of the Third Age

Chapter 1: A Life Course Approach to the third age Phyllis Moen

Chapter 2: The Third Age as a Cultural Field Chris Gilleard and Paul Higgs

Chapter 3: The Political Economy of the Third Age Kathrin Komp

Chapter 4: A Feminist Lens on the Third Age: Refining the Framework Toni Calasanti and Neal King

Part II: Methodological Approaches for Third Age Research

Chapter 5: Demographic Approaches and Their Potential Application in Third Age Research J. Scott Brown and Scott Lynch

Chapter 6: The Third Age as a Socio-Demographic Variable for Cross-Country Comparisons Kathrin Komp and Jürgen Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik

Chapter 7: Time use studies: A Method for Exploring Everyday Life in the Third Age Stella Chatzitheochari and Sara Arber

Chapter 8: Experiencing the Third Age: The Perspective of Qualitative Inquiry Graham Rowles and Lydia K. Manning

Part III: Emerging Themes and Controversies in the Era of the Third Age

Chapter 9: From Retirement to "Productive Aging" and Back to Work Again Scott Bass

Chapter 10: Challenges and Opportunities for Relationships in the Era of the Third Age Denise Brothers and Jenny de Jong Gierveld

Chapter 11: Relevance of Social Capital and Lifestyle for the Third Age Dawn C. Carr and Jon Hendricks

Chapter 12: Cultural Ideals, Ethics, and Agelessness: A Critical Perspective on the Third Age Martha Holstein

Afterward: The Third Age: Fact of Fiction - and Does it Matter? Linda George