Aging, the Use of Time, and Social Change

Abstract

Modern age stratification has contributed to greater differentiation of old age from the rest of the life cycle and lowered status for the aged. Discontinuity in the transition to old age makes the use of time a central issue, but psychological constriction displayed by many older people results from failure to facilitate creative personal expression through the life cycle and constraints on the options available and considered appropriate for the aged. Pressures for change in these options may come from cohort change in the characteristics of future older people and emerging postindustrial values.