Identity and Ageing : 'Learning to Be' as an Older Adult

Examining the fundamental social and cultural changes faced by older adults, this book explores ageing and the psychological issues encountered in ‘learning to be’ as an older person. Many of these issues are present throughout the lifespan but take on a new complexion with advancing age, such as the significance of past, present, and future in our lives; how we relate to others in our world; the impact of our gendered lives; the tension between autonomy and dependence, consumption and production, cognition and emotion; and the psychological impact of biological ageing. Adopting a lifespan developmental approach, this text draws together the psychology of late adulthood, contemporary views about identity, and how we learn and develop in late adulthood. Acknowledging the historical, social, cultural, biological, and technological factors that impact the psychological experience of identity as we age, this book will be of interest to psychology and social work students studying lifespan development. It will also appeal more broadly to a range of professions that provide services for older adults.