The Wiley–Blackwell Handbook of Adulthood and Aging

This reference provides an invaluable overview of adult development and aging, taking in a wide range of topics vital to gaining an understanding of the developmental psychology of the adult years.

Newly commissioned articles from the top researchers in the field take a biopsychosocial approach, covering biological changes (physiological changes and health), psychological changes (cognition, personality, psychopathology), and social changes (family, lifestyle, and work), as well as including theoretical perspectives.

Drawing on the most recent demographic data and combining classic research with cutting–edge, contemporary approaches, this exceptional collection is an invaluable resource for advanced students and researchers of adult development and aging.

Notes on Contributors ix

Preface xvii
Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Martin J. Sliwinski

Part I Foundations

1 Theoretical Perspectives: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Positive Aging 3
Elliot M. Friedman and Carol D. Ryff

2 Demography of Aging: Behavioral and Social Implications 25
Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Stacey B. Whitbourne

3 Late Life: A Venue for Studying the Mechanisms by Which Contextual Factors Influence Individual Development 49
Denis Gerstorf and Nilam Ram

4 Methodological Issues in Research on Adult Development and Aging 72
Scott M. Hofer, Philippe Rast, and Andrea M. Piccinin

Part II Physical Changes and Health

5 Physical Exercise and Health 97
Leslie I. Katzel and Gregory M. Steinbrenner

6 Behavioral Stability and Change in Health Across the Adult Life Cycle 118
Ilene C. Siegler and Adam Davey

Part III Cognition

7 Processing Speed 135
Judith Dirk and Florian Schmiedek

8 Working Memory 154
David P. McCabe and Vanessa M. Loaiza

9 Memory and Aging 174
Brent J. Small, Kerri S. Rawson, Sarah Eisel, and Cathy L. McEvoy

10 Everyday Cognition 190
Jason C. Allaire

Part IV Personality

11 Personality Development in Adulthood 211
Nicky J. Newton and Abigail J. Stewart

12 Socioemotional Perspectives on Adult Development 236
Jennifer Tehan Stanley and Derek M. Isaacowitz

13 Personality and Aging: Cognitive Perspectives and Processes 254
Eileen Kranz Graham and Margie E. Lachman

Part V Abnormal Aging

14 Affective Disorders and Age: The View Through a Developmental Lens 275
Jennifer R. Piazza and Susan Turk Charles

15 Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias 293
Joshua R. Steinerman and Richard B. Lipton

16 Personality Disorders in Later Life 312
Daniel L. Segal, Richard Zweig, and Victor Molinari

17 Assessment of Older Adults 331
Christine E. Gould, Barry A. Edelstein, and Lindsay A. Gerolimatos

Part VI Social Processes

18 Self–Regulation and Social Cognition in Adulthood: The Gyroscope of Personality 357
Cory Bolkan and Karen Hooker

19 Partners and Friends in Adulthood 381
Rosemary Blieszner and Karen A. Roberto

20 Intergenerational Relationships and Aging 399
Kira S. Birditt and Elvina Wardjiman

21 Retirement: An Adult Development Perspective 416
Mo Wang

Part VII Well–Being and Creativity

22 Effects of Remaining Time for Psychological Well–Being and Cognition 433
Boo Johansson and Anne Ingeborg Berg

23 Successful Aging 459
Colin A. Depp, Ipsit V. Vahia, and Dilip V. Jeste

24 Creative Productivity and Aging: An Age Decrement – or Not? 477
Dean Keith Simonton

Author Index 497

Subject Index 527

Susan Krauss Whitbourne is Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of numerous publications including Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders (6 th edition, with R. P. Halgin, 2009), Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives (4th Edition, Wiley, 2011, with S. B. Whitbourne), and The Search for Fulfillment (2010).

Martin Sliwinski is Director of the Gerontology Center and Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has written extensively on the relationship of stress and disease to health, emotional well–being, and cognitive function across the adult lifespan.