Successful ageing: A historical overview and critical analysis of a successful concept

Bülow, Morten Hillgaard; Söderqvist, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2014.08.009

Cited by 118 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Active and/or successful ageing proposes that decline can be avoided through adopting a 'busy ethic.' Active ageing has now been critiqued as an over-simplification of old age, which served to homogenise the diversity of people's lived experience of ageing (Bülow and Söderqvist, 2014). Bülow and Söderqvist's (2014) eloquent and balanced historical review of 'successful ageing' speaks to a wider trend in the ascendency of cultural conceptions of ageing.…”

Section: The Elderly Mystiquementioning

confidence: 99%

Unmasking the ‘elderly mystique’: Why it is time to make the personal political in ageing research

Carney

Gray

2015

Journal of Aging Studies

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This article uses feminist scholarship to investigate 'the elderly mystique' -which contends that the potential of old age is masked by a set of false beliefs about ageing (i.e. ageism) which permeate social, economic and political life (Cohen, 1988).The article presents a theoretical model which explores the extent to which institutionalised ageism shapes the trajectory of life after 60. i The hypothesis underpinning the model is simple: The challenge for ageing societies is not the average age of a given population but, rather, how age is used to structure economic, social and political life. An inter-disciplinary framework is used to examine how biological facts about ageing are used to segregate older from younger people, giving older people the status of "other"; economically through retirement, politically through assumptions about 'the grey vote' and socially through ageist stereotyping in the media and through denial and ridicule of the sexuality of older people. Each domain is informed by the achievements of feminist theory and research on sexism and how its successes and failures can inform critical investigations of ageism.The paper recognises the role of ageism in de-politicising the lived experience of ageing. The paper concludes that feminist scholarship, particularly work by feminists in their seventies, eighties and nineties has much to offer in terms of re-framing gerontology as an emancipatory project for current and future cohorts of older people.

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Section: The Elderly Mystiquementioning

confidence: 99%

Unmasking the ‘elderly mystique’: Why it is time to make the personal political in ageing research

Carney

Gray

2015

Journal of Aging Studies

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“…As critics have demonstrated, attempts to counter old stereotypes of age-related decline and decrepitude with these newer representations have introduced new ways of disciplining later life. It should come as no surprise that 'successful aging' (along with related concepts of 'positive', 'active' and 'healthy' aging) has been robustly criticized for its affinity with neoliberal modes of governance, neglect of structural inequalities, commercialization, and alignment with dividing practices that produce some bodies as unsuccessfully aged [6,8,[21][22][23].…”

Section: The Problem With 'Successful Aging'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Queering Aging Futures

Sandberg

Marshall

2017

Societies

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This paper explores the potential for cultural gerontology to extend its ideas of diversity in aging experiences by opening space to rethink conceptions of successful aging futures. We propose a 'queering' of aging futures that disrupts the ways that expectations of a good later life and happy aging are seen to adhere to some bodies and subjectivities over others. Drawing on feminist, queer, and crip theories, we build on existing critiques of 'successful aging' to interrogate the assumptions of heteronormativity, able-bodiedness and able-mindedness that shape the dividing lines between success and failure in aging, and which inform attempts to 'repair' damaged futures. Conclusions suggest that recognizing diversity in successful aging futures is important in shaping responses to the challenges of aging societies, and presents an opportunity for critical cultural gerontology to join with its theoretical allies in imagining more inclusive alternatives.

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“…A partir de una perspectiva psicosocial, la construcción teórico-conceptual del proceso de envejecimiento exitoso ha liderado desde hace aproximadamente 30 años el conocimiento científico psicogerontológico, con efectos en la investigación básica y aplicada a nivel mundial (Bowling & Dieppe, 2005;Bowling & Ilieffe, 2006Bülow & Söderqvist, 2014;Cho, Martin, & Poon, 2015;Freund, Nikitin, & Ritter, 2009;Johnson, Sarkisian, & Williamson, 2015;Jopp et al, 2015;Kahana, Kahana, & Lee, 2014;Ouwehand, de Ridder, & Bensing, 2007;Steverink, Lindenberg, & Ormel, 1998). El envejecimiento con éxito se ha estudiado como un concepto multidimensional que abarca, trasciende y supera la buena salud (Organización Mundial de la Salud [OMS], 2002), y que está compuesto por un amplio conjunto de factores biopsicosociales, reconociendo que existe gran variabilidad interindividual en las formas de envejecer (Bowling & Ilieffe, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…El aporte fundamental yace en la posibilidad de describir, con evidencia empírica, cómo se articulan las variables que componen los llamados recursos socioemocionales y cognitivos que permiten la adaptación y compensación en la vejez (Baltes & Baltes, 1990;Jopp & Smith, 2006;Schulz & Heckhausen, 1996;Strawbridge, Cohen, Shema, & Kaplan, 1996), buscando reflexionar sobre los criterios clásicos del envejecimiento con éxito (Bülow & Söderqvist, 2014;Rowe & Kahn, 1998), que son aspectos revisados con poca profundidad en estudios anteriores a nivel nacional (Rosero-Bixby, 2008;Rosero-Bixby & Dow, 2005.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Predictores socio-emocionales y cognitivos: su papel en la comprensión del envejecimiento con éxito en el contexto costarricense

Molina

Villanea

2017

Univ Psychol

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Para citar este artículo: Blanco Molina, M., & Salazar Villanea, M. (2017). Predictores socioemocionales y cognitivos: su papel en la comprensión del envejecimiento con éxito en el contexto costarricense. Universitas Psychologica, 16(1) RESUMENTomando en cuenta las teorías del envejecimiento con éxito, este estudio se orientó hacia la identificación y el análisis de las características que presentan personas adultas mayores con altos niveles de actividad y participación social residentes en Costa Rica. El estudio contó con 191 participantes con edades entre 55 y 87 años (M = 68.5, DE = 6.9) que habitan en el área metropolitana y participan en programas dirigidos a personas mayores en cursos de computación, idiomas, actividad física, arte, entre otros. Mediante modelos lineales, se evidenció la importancia de las condiciones sociales, emocionales y cognitivas como las mejores variables predictoras del nivel de actividad en la muestra estudiada: a) variables emocionales como autoeficacia percibida, emociones positivas, satisfacción con la vida, control personal, adecuadas redes de apoyo; b) características cognitivas como funciones ejecutivas preservadas; c) percepción subjetiva de salud y d) características sociodemográficas como nivel educativo e ingresos. El estudio permite funcionar como línea base, a nivel teórico y metodológico, del envejecimiento con éxito en Costa Rica. Describe los estilos de vida activos en la vejez de los participantes costarricenses, caracterizados primordialmente por la participación en relaciones sociales y ocio, más que por actividades de tipo cognitivas y físicas o vinculadas al logro personal.Palabras clave persona adulta mayor; variables socioemocionales; variables cognitivas; envejecimiento con éxito. ABSTRACTThe present study was aimed at identifying and analyzing the characteristics of older people with high levels of activity and social participation living in Costa Rica, from perspectives like the Successful Aging approach. It also addresses the classical criteria of successful aging theories and their scope in Costa Rican culture. 191 participants between the ages of 55 and 87 (M = 68.5, SD = 6.9) who live in the metropolitan area and participate in programs of the Costa Rican Gerontological Association and the Program for the older people at the University of Costa Rica (in computer courses, languages courses, physical activity, art, among others). Linear models analysis has shown that social, emotional and cognitive factors are the best predictors of the level of activity in

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Successful ageing: A historical overview and critical analysis of a successful concept

Cited by 118 publications

References 41 publications

Unmasking the ‘elderly mystique’: Why it is time to make the personal political in ageing research

Unmasking the ‘elderly mystique’: Why it is time to make the personal political in ageing research

Queering Aging Futures

Predictores socio-emocionales y cognitivos: su papel en la comprensión del envejecimiento con éxito en el contexto costarricense

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