The aging of the population of the United States is occurring at a time of major economic and social changes. These economic changes include consideration of increases in the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare and possible changes in benefit levels. Furthermore, changes in the social context in which older individuals and families function may well affect the nature of key social relationships and institutions that define the environment for older persons. Sociology offers a knowledge base, a number of useful analytic approaches and tools, and unique theoretical perspectives that can facilitate understanding of these demographic, economic, and social changes and, to the extent possible, their causes, consequences and implications.

New Directions in the Sociology of Aging evaluates the recent contributions of social demography, social epidemiology and sociology to the study of aging and identifies promising new research directions in these sub-fields. Included in this study are nine papers prepared by experts in sociology, demography, social genomics, public health, and other fields, that highlight the broad array of tools and perspectives that can provide the basis for further advancing the understanding of aging processes in ways that can inform policy. This report discusses the role of sociology in what is a wide-ranging and diverse field of study; a proposed three-dimensional conceptual model for studying social processes in aging over the life cycle; a review of existing databases, data needs and opportunities, primarily in the area of measurement of interhousehold and intergenerational transmission of resources, biomarkers and biosocial interactions; and a summary of roadblocks and bridges to transdisciplinary research that will affect the future directions of the field of sociology of aging.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PANEL ON NEW DIRECTIONS IN SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
• COMMITTEE ON POPULATION 2012-2013
• Preface
• I. FINAL REPORT
  • Summary
  • 1. Introduction and Approach
    • APPROACH
  • 2. A Conceptual Model of Aging for the Next Generation of Research
    • A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF AGING
  • 3. Data Needs and Opportunities
    • THE CURRENT PORTFOLIO OF DATASETS
    • NEW DATA AND MEASUREMENT NEEDS
    • OPPORTUNITIES
    • HARMONIZATION OF DATA COLLECTION EFFORTS
    • OBSTACLES TO DATA GATHERING AND USAGE
  • 4. Roadblocks and Bridges to Transdisciplinary Research
    • ROADBLOCKS TO TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
    • BRIDGES TO TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
  • References
  • Appendix Biographical Sketches of Panel Members
• II. PAPERS
  • 5. Introduction and Overview
    Linda J. Waite.
    • THE CHANGING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF AGING
    • THREE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DEMOGRAPHY
    • THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
    • THE INTERACTION BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND SOCIAL FACTORS
    • INTERVENTION TRIALS
    • LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
    • REFERENCES
  • 6. The New Realities of Aging: Social and Economic Contexts
    Jacqueline L. Angel and Richard A. Settersten Jr.
    • REORGANIZATION OF THE LIFE COURSE
    • FAMILY AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
    • SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF VARIABILITY AND INEQUALITY ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE
    • INTERGENERATIONAL FINANCIAL EXCHANGES AND INHERITANCE
    • RETHINKING THE MEANINGS OF RETIREMENT
    • THE NEW AGE AND PUBLIC ECONOMIES
    • FINAL THOUGHTS: WHY SOCIOLOGY IS CRUCIAL TO THE STUDY OF HUMAN AGING
    • REFERENCES
  • 7. Research Opportunities in the Demography of Aging
    Melissa Hardy and Vegard Skirbekk.
    • INTRODUCTION
    • A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
    • COHORTS, GENERATIONS, AND THE LIFE COURSE
    • PROMISING AREAS
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 8. Networks, Neighborhoods, and Institutions: An Integrated “Activity Space” Approach for Research on Aging
    Kathleen A. Cagney, Christopher R. Browning, Aubrey L. Jackson, and Brian Soller.
    • SOCIAL NETWORKS
    • NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT
    • INSTITUTIONS
    • CHALLENGES
    • NEW DIRECTIONS
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 9. Constrained Choices: The Shifting Institutional Contexts of Aging and the Life Course
    Phyllis Moen.
    • INSTITUTIONS AS CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES
    • STRATIFICATION AND INEQUALITY OVER THE LIFE COURSE
    • RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN THE CHANGING LIFE COURSE
    • SOCIAL INTEGRATION/SUPPORT/ISOLATION
    • CONSTRAINED AGENCY: CONTROL CYCLES, ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES
    • TIME, PLACE, AND SOCIAL CHANGE
    • FUTURE DIRECTIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 10. Opportunities and Challenges in the Study of Biosocial Dynamics in Healthy Aging
    Tara L. Gruenewald.
    • INTRODUCTION
    • BIOSOCIAL INVESTIGATIONS: THE PROVINCE OF TWO TRADITIONS
    • SOME CHALLENGES OF BIOSOCIAL INVESTIGATIONS
    • LOOKING FORWARD
    • REFERENCES
  • 11. The Loyal Opposition: A Commentary on “Opportunities and Challenges in the Study of Biosocial Dynamics in Healthy Aging”
    Maxine Weinstein, Dana A. Glei, and Noreen Goldman.
    • THE SES-HEALTH GRADIENT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE UNIVERSAL
    • WEAK EVIDENCE THAT BIOMARKERS MEDIATE THE SES–HEALTH LINK
    • ALLOSTATIC LOAD—A FEW CONCERNS
    • WHERE CAN WE GO FROM HERE
    • REFERENCES
  • 12. Social Genomics and the Life Course: Opportunities and Challenges for Multilevel Population Research
    Michael J. Shanahan.
    • SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, GENE TRANSCRIPTION, AND INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES: STAGES ONE AND TWO
    • STAGE THREE: POPULATION-BASED MULTILEVEL STUDIES
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 13. The Challenge of Social Genomics: A Commentary on “Social Genomics and the Life Course: Opportunities and Challenges for Multilevel Population Research”
    Jason Schnittker.
  • 14. Interventions to Promote Health and Prevent Disease: Perspectives on Clinical Trials Past, Present, and Future
    S. Leonard Syme and Abby C. King.
    • THE 2000 IOM REPORT
    • CHALLENGES TO INTERVENTION TRIALS
    • WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED SINCE THE 2000 IOM REPORT
    • SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
    • SUMMARY
    • REFERENCES

This study was supported by the National Institute on Aging's Division of Behavioral and Social Research through Contract N01-OD-4-2139, Task Order number #259 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization or agencies that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. (2013). New Directions in the Sociology of Aging. Panel on New Directions in Social Demography, Social Epidemiology, and the Sociology of Aging. L.J. Waite and T.J. Plewes, Editors. Committee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.