ABSTRACT
This chapter explores alternative directions for models of successful aging, and the conceptual and methodological challenges faced in this quest. The original Preventive and Corrective Proactivity (PCP) model recognized that both individual proactivity and stress exposure influence the availability of social supports. Prior research suggests that men at all age levels belong to more volunteer organizations, while women are more involved in providing personal assistance to others. Scholarship on the life course should establish linkages between individuals and society by focusing on differential distributions of opportunities for growth and to human development. The temporal context introduces the background and influences of "biography and history" on successful aging. An important challenge to future research and theory on successful aging relates to considering both proximal and distal antecedents of current adaptations. Proactivity represents the major "process" component of the model and allows the people to define successful aging independent of outcomes.
