ABSTRACT
Many sociological theories and empirical research studies examine the losses that people experience during adulthood and later life. Health and physical functioning, income, and role activity are just a few of the salient domains of life that are often challenged in the later years. Although it is true that many losses occur during late middle age and later life, it is an oversimplification to characterize later life as simply, or primarily, a period of loss. Increasing evidence shows that adults, especially older adults, experience loss, but adapt to such events and processes with a variety of coping methods. One such adaptive response is compensation (Bäckman & Dixon, 1992). The purpose of this chapter is to examine the theoretical perspectives and previous research relevant to social compensation in later life. As is shown, the concept of compensation is implicit in many sociological theories of action and gerontological theories of social functioning. Evidence is accumulating that compensation is a widespread adaptive response, although its form varies by situational contexts and available resources.
