A Shift in Psychology’s Understanding of Aging

Psychology’s relationship with aging has shifted considerably over the past several decades.

Where the field once focused narrowly on cognitive decline and pathology, there is now a richer conversation—one that encompasses resilience, meaning-making, and the particular developmental tasks and frequently-occurring challenges of later life. This shift has been the central preoccupation of my career.

A New Resource from the APA

The American Psychological Association recently published Perspectives on Aging: Psychology Across the Lifespan, a free e-booklet that reflects this broader understanding.

I was honored to contribute through an interview, alongside two colleagues whose scholarship I have long respected: Katharine Esty, PhD, and Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, ABPP. Together, we represent decades of clinical work, research, and writing on the psychological dimensions of growing older.

Beyond Singular Narratives

What distinguishes this collection is its refusal to reduce aging to a singular narrative.

The booklet addresses changing cultural attitudes toward older adults, advances in clinical practice, and the emerging science of positive aging—but it does so without the false optimism that sometimes characterizes popular treatments of the subject. The challenges of later life are acknowledged. So are its genuine possibilities.

Central Questions

Several questions recur throughout the publication:

How do internalized attitudes about aging shape our experience of growing older?

What does psychological flourishing look like in the old-old years?

How might we approach the later chapters of life with both clear-eyed realism and authentic hope?

These are questions I frequently encountered in my clinical practice, and now in my own reflections on this stage of life.

Erlene Rosowsky, PsyD