Aging in the Social-cultural Context: a Lifespan Developmental Perspective

The question of how culture may be involved in individual development across the lifespan has been occupying researchers for decades. The significant body of research in the area has led to major shifts in perspectives, in particular, how we view individual development in the social milieu. The lifespan developmental perspective describes the ways in which culture influences development, as processes of development inevitably take place in a cultural context. This book will discuss cultural variations in self-concept; how culture leads to the development of ideas about primary and secondary control; how culture influences the individual by means of stereotyping; and finally, how all these developmental processes affect health, attitudes, and behaviors. The focus of this book is on older adults in later stages of development.