The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences

by Susan Krauss Whitbourne

The objective of this book is to provide information that will be useful to people in a variety of disciplines who wish to learn more about normal aging processes in the human body. Although gerontologists in the biological sciences are making great strides in research on human aging and documenting this work in mono- graphs, texts, and review chapters, this information is generally not easily acces- sible nor is it comprehensible to nonprofessionals in these fields. This book is intended to provide a summary of this work, along with its implications for psy- chological functioning of the aging individual. The majority of the book is devoted to describing the results of research on the physiological changes in the human body with aging and to seeking explana- tions for these age effects. This description has been approached in such a way as to make it readable for the nonspecialist, but also to focus on research issues that will be useful reading for those who are currently working in these parti- cular areas. In addition, throughout the book, I have tried to develop some themes regarding physiological and psychological adaptation during adulthood.

Hardcover

First published September 9, 1985

About the author

Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., is currently a professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where for 20 years she directed the undergraduate Honors Program in Psychology. She now directs the Commonwealth Honors College's Office of National Scholarship Advisement. She grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. and graduated from the University at Buffalo. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Columbia University and completed a postdoctoral respecialization program in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The author of over 150 refereed articles and book chapters and 16 books (many in multiple editions and translations), her most recent work is The Search for Fulfillment (January 2010, Ballantine Books). Her research covers a wide range of topics related to adult development and aging, including personality development through midlife, contributors to successful aging, predictors of memory performance, and the relationship between physical health and sense of personal identity. She teaches large undergraduate lecture classes and maintains an active lab of graduate students whose research focuses on life-span development, dementia, and functional abilities in older adults.

Recepient of a 2011 Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, she is the winner of national and campus teaching and advising awards. She has served in executive board and advisory roles in regional and national professional organizations including the American Psychological Association (Council of Representatives and Membership Board), the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs (Chair-Elect), the Eastern Psychological Association (Executive Board), the Society for the Study of Human Development (past President), the Gerontological Society of America (Executive Board member), the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (Executive Board member), and Psi Chi (past Eastern Regional Vice President), as well as a member of numerous task forces and advisory panels at the national, regional, state, and campus levels.

Whitbourne lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband and has the distinct pleasure of having raised two daughters who chose to follow their mother's profession. Her older daughter, Stacey, a developmental/health psychologist, is now a co-author on her adult development text, and her younger daughter, Jennifer is pursuing her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her hobbies include knitting and playing the piano, and through her frequent participation in aerobics classes, she practices what she preaches about the value of aging and exercise.