Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences

Reviews / Votes

...this reference text is highly recommended for senior scholars, researchers, and practitioners. --CHOICE (March 2002) @from:Praise for the previous edition: This collection is a Fourth Edition of a series that provides broad and thorough coverage of research on aging in the social sciences. Although a Fourth Edition, much of the material is new... This volume provides extensive and detailed summaries of critical social science subject areas, primarily in sociology, epidemiology and demography, history, economics, and political science and social policy. This will likely be an indispensable book for psychologists who need extended yet concise treatment of the research on social influences on aging. It is recommended as a useful addition to personal collections of gerontological literature. Supplemented by other material (new topics areas supplement but do not replace thematic contents in previous editions), this handbook could serve as a cornerstone for advanced-level study. --CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY Intended for use by researchers, professional practitioners, and students in the field of aging, the Handbook series serves its purpose well... The chapters are uniformly well written and densely packed with information. While the chapter titles have not changed substantially from the earlier editions, the approach to many of the topics is new, thanks to the outreach of the editors to first-time contributors... The result is a fresh outlook on many areas that have become stale in our discussions. All of the contributors, of course, are distinguished scholars and recognizable experts in their fields... I found the infusion of the life-course perspective throughout the volume to give it a certain integrity and connectedness. They are written with a strong theory base and an acknowledgement of the research frontiers that remain to be explored. The Fourth Edition to the Handbook on Aging and the Social Sciences has much to recommend it... It presents not only a critical review of research to date, but a discussion of areas for further research. The chapters provide rich topical reviews that can update ones knowledge in a variety of areas. It will serve, as its predecessors have, as a valuable reference text for researchers, professionals, and students interested in social gerontology. --Elizabeth A. Kutza, Portland State University, in GERONTOLOGIST A comprehensive text/reference for students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of aging. The volume is divided into four sections covering: theory and research methodology, aging and social structure, social factors and social institutions associated with aging, and social interventions. This updated edition is substantially expanded with 25 new contributors and some dozen new topics.