ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a discussion of the components of environment and theoretical perspectives on person-environment interactions. It reviews selected areas of research findings on environmental influences in the aging process from the perspective of person-environmental congruence. The chapter reviews the literature on environment, stress and aging. Some physical aspects of the environment known to impact the well-being of the elderly were also measured in the questionnaire. The main focus is on the individual's appraisal of the environment, and the adoption of adaptive coping behaviour to change the environment and reduce stress. Thus, stress is a product of the interactions between characteristics of the environment and the cognitive appraisal on the elderly. Health ratings showed significantly less decline among tenants than among members of the comparison group. Finally, the chapter presents new data to illustrate how certain dimensions of the environment and stress are related to well-being in a sample of community dwelling elderly.
