The Lives of Older People and Changing Social Roles

This article addresses the central dilemma of the mismatch between the strengths and capacities of the increasing numbers of older people in the United States, on the one hand, and the inadequate social-role opportunities to utilize, reward, and sustain these strengths, on the other. In order to enh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1989-05, Vol.503 (1), p.14-28
Main Authors: Riley, Matilda White, Riley, John W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aged
Aging
Change
Death
Elderly
Hospice care
Longevity
Older adults
Older workers
Recreation
Retirement
Role Conflict
Roles
Social roles
Social structures
Sociology
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Summary:This article addresses the central dilemma of the mismatch between the strengths and capacities of the increasing numbers of older people in the United States, on the one hand, and the inadequate social-role opportunities to utilize, reward, and sustain these strengths, on the other. In order to enhance the quality of aging, interventions are needed, both in the ways individuals grow older and in the environing matrix of families, work organizations, political institutions, health care systems, and all the other social structures in which people's lives are embedded. Examples of interventions in both lives and role structures demonstrate the potential for improvement. Looking toward the future, these interventions are seen to affect people of all ages and call for ultimate gradual redesign of the life course from birth to death. An analytical framework of the relationship between aging and broad changes in society is presented as a guide in designing small-scale interventions that can accumulate to benefit-rather than to impair-the well-being of older people now and in the future.
ISSN:0002-7162
1552-3349
DOI:10.1177/0002716289503001002