Evolving views of Ageing and Longevity from Homer to Hippocrates: Emergence of Natural Factors, Persistence of the Supernatural

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
CALEB ELLICOTT FINCH
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Natural Factors ◽  
Biomedical Scientist ◽  
Human Ageing ◽  
Ancient Literature ◽  
Course Outcomes

During the three centuries from Homer to Hippocrates, views of human ageing and longevity evolved in a socio-cultural sense, with relationships to Greek medicine and science. I, as a biomedical scientist, examine ancient literature for roots of the idea that life-course outcomes can be influenced by tangible ‘natural’ factors, whether these are environmental or the result of lifestyle. The concept that an individual has any choice in health and ageing departs radically from ancient, persistent beliefs in the primacy of the supernatural, that the gods could predestine one's life span by birth or could alter it at any time.

Developmental and Life-Course Models of Crime

2019 ◽  
pp. 124-145
Author(s):  
David M. Day ◽  
Margit Wiesner
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Interactional Theory ◽  
Developmental Science ◽  
Systems Framework

This chapter provides an overview of theoretical process models for the explanation of crime in developmental context. It introduces key propositions from leading developmental and life-course theories of offending, including the dual taxonomy of antisocial behavior, coercion theory, interactional theory, and age-graded theory of informal social control, and stresses the need for further elaboration of the role of human agency in criminal trajectories across the life span. The chapter also describes the core tenets of the relational developmental systems framework, which serves as a major metamodel that undergirds contemporary developmental science. It is argued that developmental science theories of intentional self-regulation across the life span hold great promise to enrich criminological theorizing on human agency.

scholarly journals LATENCY/PATHWAYS, FUNCTIONALISM/MORPHOGENESIS: CONTRASTING PARADIGMS OF LIFE-COURSE INEQUALITY AND CHANGE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S418-S418
Author(s):  
Dale Dannefer
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Gerontological Research ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Life Course Studies ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
Key Resources

Abstract Attention to dis/advantage during childhood has become a major interest of life-course studies. It has been a force in advancing attention to inequality over the undifferentiated “normal aging” versions of life-course and gerontological research, making clear the irreducible importance of the presence/ absence of key resources in accounting for life-course outcomes, from early onward. Explanatory strategies set forth within this work often contrast “latency/early origins” models (with explanation anchored in the early years) with “pathways” models (which examine the independent effects of adult life-course circumstances). This paper argues that these two types of models actually are aligned with distinct conceptual paradigms that imply fundamentally different understandings of aging in society (“functionalist/organismic” and “systemic/morphogenetic”). The differential implications of these two models for the relation of cumulative dis/advantage and social change is explored.

Life course outcomes for women with different alcohol consumption trajectories: A population-based longitudinal study

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 763-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nam T. Tran ◽  
Alexandra Clavarino ◽  
Gail M. Williams ◽  
Jake M. Najman
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Course Outcomes

Mastery and Depressive Symptoms: How Does Mastery Influence the Impact of Stressors From Midlife to Old Age?

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1084-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnhild Nicolaisen ◽  
Torbjørn Moum ◽  
Kirsten Thorsen
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Health Factors ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The objective of this research is to study depressive symptoms (DS) among adults aged 40 to 79 years and examine how mastery influences the impact of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors on DS. Method: We used a sample of the Norwegian Life Course, Generation, and Gender (LOGG) study ( N = 6,879) and analyzed how mastery influences the independent variables on DS via regression analyses. Results: Mastery affected DS directly and influenced the effects of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors on DS. There was a stronger relationship between stressors and DS among respondents with low than high mastery. DS were most prevalent among people aged 70 to 79 years. When mastery was also controlled for, the oldest group (70-79 years) had significantly fewer DS than those aged 40 to 49 years. Discussion: The influence of mastery and stressors on DS seems to vary along the life span. The result that mastery was a relatively stronger buffer against DS in midlife than in old age is discussed.

Life Course Analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth F. Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Life Course Analysis

Life course analysis prioritizes the long view of aging: study aging as a process from embryo to death and how the timing of events and exposures shapes those lives. The act of analyzing the life course (or life span) highlights an intellectual tension in the field that has existed for decades: Is gerontology the study of older organisms or how those organisms age? Although human social services are often organized by age groups, science is better off studying the aging process—how the organism became older. In humans and animals, the experience of aging varies by historical time and place. Three vantage points for life course analysis are specified: the study of (1) early origins, (2) centenarians, and (3) family lineage.

scholarly journals INTEREST GROUP SESSION—MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE AND AGING: INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN DEFINING HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES AMONG DIVERSE OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S393-S393
Author(s):  
Jacquelyn Minahan ◽  
Tamara A Baker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Social determinants of health (SDoH) are conditions in which individuals live, learn, work, and play. Specifically, they are influenced by the distribution of resources, money, and power, and have significant implications on health behaviors and outcomes across the life span. Existent data show the influence these indictors may have in the onset and progression of chronic illnesses. However, much of these data focus on the effect of race and health, as social determinants, but fail to adequately address the myriad other factors (e.g., health care, social and community context) that influence the social patterning across the life course. This symposium presents findings from several studies highlighting the nuanced role of SDoH across diverse populations of older adults. Scholars will present findings on the influence that identified determinants, such as social networks, lifestyle behaviors, and gender, have in defining health outcomes across the life course. Minahan presents the relationship between chronic illnesses and depression and compares depressive symptomatology according to disease cluster in a nationally-representative sample of older adults. Atakere discusses determinants of well-being among African American males with chronic illnesses and the challenges associated with this marginalized population. Booker examines spirituality as a mechanism for pain management among older African Americans and presents this as a crucial determinant of health. This symposium will expand on the existing body of literature by emphasizing social and cultural determinants, aside from race, that influence health behaviors and outcomes across the life span.

Life Span or Life Course: Prosperity Is Here by Any Name

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-216
Author(s):  
K. Warner Schaie
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span
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