ABSTRACT
Throughout the life span, people react to and proactively create opportunity structures that foster and constrain their development. We posit that whether the dynamic interaction of opportunity structures and resources results in a positive ratio of gains (positive outcomes) to losses (negative outcomes) depends on the orchestration of three component processes of developmental regulation: selection, optimization, and compensation. The meta-theory of selective optimization with compensation (SOC-theory, P.B.Baltes, 1997; P.B.Baltes & Baltes, 1990; M.M.Baltes & Carstensen, 1996; Freund & Baltes, 1997; Marsiske, Lang, Baltes, & Baltes, 1995) provides a general framework for the understanding of developmental continuity and change across different periods of the life span, different levels of analysis, and across different domains of functioning. In this vein, we argue that the explication of selection, optimization, and compensation carries the potential of evolving into a general theory of development.
