ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book focuses on attachment theory as a prime example of a theory originating in the study of childhood which has major implications for the whole of the lifespan, and not least for the experience of aging. It offers some sense of the history of gerontology. The psychology of aging cannot be understood without attention to bodily aging and social and cultural context in which it occurs. Psychology is a social science as well as a life science, and it must retain an important element of reflexive criticism as to the direction and purposes of its enquiries. The book discusses that the developmental psychology of aging must develop as strong expertise in quantitative research design and statistical analysis as other areas of psychology, but it must also make creative use of the range of qualitative methodologies available from ethnography to case study analysis.
