ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we saw how contemporary theory on adaptation to ageing in later life has rejected the view that old age is intrinsically a difficult time of life. Older people by and large adjust well to the changes that occur, find ways of maintaining their principal goals and meeting their needs for competence, control and relationship. In later chapters we shall focus on the problems and challenges of advanced old age, but even in circumstances of frailty, most older people impress by their ability to cope. Why is this so? In some ways the resilience of the old in the face of decline and death is paradoxical. They appear happier than they should be, happier than younger people would be if faced with the same physical and social losses (Diener et al., 1999). In this chapter we discuss empirical research relating to three burgeoning themes in the study of ageing and adaptation, which will help us to understand this paradox.
