Ecology and the aging process.

Abstract

Ecology refers to the study of natural systems, emphasizing the interdependence of one element in a system upon every other element. Darwin's and Wallace's theories of natural selection were originators of ecological theories. Darwin referred to the "web of life," indicating that in the struggle for existence every species must adapt to both the demands of the physical environment and every other species. Thus, as one species changed the others changed and produced systems in which each island had different life forms. In like manner, human ecology has a wholistic framework. Ecologists argue than one cannot understand one element in nature without considering its surroundings.According to Klausner (1971), "Adaptation is the most important dynamic concept in human ecology [p. 271." It is with regard to this quality that the writings of such diverse individuals as Webber, Darwin, Skinner, and many others are seen as containing a unifying element and becoming integrated into theories of human ecology. We will consider the ecology of aging in terms of the adaptation of man to his environment and his alteration of the environment as part of the process of human adaptation. The aging process itself can be seen as one of continual adaptation: adaptation both to the external M. Powell Lawton received his PhD in clinical psychology from Columbia University in 1952. He has worked in clinical practice and clinical research for the Veterans Administration and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is presently Director of Behavioral Research at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center. His major research interests are in social gerontology and ecological psychology. He is Secretary of the Gerontological Society, Past-President of the Division on Adult Development and Aging of the American Psychological Association, and Associate Editor for Social Gerontology for the Journal of Gerontology.

Characteristics of the personal and environmental components of person-environment fit in very old age: a comparison between people with self-reported Parkinson’s disease and matched controls

“…The presentation of these results was limited to the environmental barriers that would have to be removed in at least 25% of the PD sample. 11 …”

“…Research on housing and health in old age is firmly linked to the Ecological Theory of Ageing (ETA) (11,12) and to models of person-environment (P-E) fit (e.g. 13).…”

“Engaging in my rural community”: perceptions of people aged 85 years and over

“…This theoretical orientation is grounded in published works derived from the ecology of ageing and Lawton’s influential person–environment fit model (Lawton & Nahemow, 1973; Wahl, Iwarsson, & Oswald, 2012). Environmental gerontology provides a framework from which to explain the interaction between older adults and their physical and social environments (Schwarz, 2012).…”

Challenges of cross-national housing research with older persons: lessons from the ENABLE-AGE project

“…For example, given the long-standing prominence of the research by Lawton and Nahemow (1973) and Lawton and Simon (1968) in the ecology of ageing and in gerontology at large, the empirical treatment of person-environment relationships and their consequences for major health outcomes has remained surprisingly rare (Scheidt and Norris-Baker 2004;Stuck et al 1999). Finally, while conducting housing and health research in different countries to obtain comparative data, challenges may arise with respect to different political and cultural background (Lynn 2003).…”

“…To better understand ageing from an environmental gerontology perspective (Lawton and Nahemow 1973;Wahl et al 2004) it is critical to emphasise the role of the socio-physical context. As our research shows, underemphasising the environment while over-emphasising person-related variables runs the risk of potentially wrong conclusions, for example, in understanding changes in health status along the ageing process.…”