CALL FOR PAPERS
About: In 1987, John Rowe and Robert Kahn published their seminal article on “successful aging.” The article was pathbreaking in that it
differentiated “successful” from “usual” aging, and explicitly recognized that later-life could be a time of vigor or infirmity, social integration
or loneliness, opulence or scarcity. While the original successful aging model generated many empirical assessments, critiques, and calls
for revision, the core concepts have remained intact. The February 2015 issue of The Gerontologist (Rachel Pruchno, Editor) published a
multidisciplinary collection of theoretical and empirical articles on “Successful Aging: Contentious Past, Productive Future.”
Rowe and Kahn have since reassessed their original model, and developed an updated 21st century model of successful aging – to
appear as an Editorial in the May 2015 issue of Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. In this editorial, “Successful Aging 2.0: Conceptual
Expansions for the 21st Century,” Rowe and Kahn emphasize: the growing importance of technological advances (ranging from assistive
devices to the Internet); scientific advances in identifying genetic and biological markers of successful aging; changes in major social
institutions (including the family, education, civic engagement, work and retirement); and the policy implications of population aging as
four factors that may shape whether, how, and which particular older adults will enjoy successful aging.
They further highlight the potential benefits to society of an aging population, a benefit referred to as the “longevity dividend.” Rowe
and Kahn note the development of psychological theories that complement their approach to successful aging. Research on life course
sociology and the psychology of aging can contribute to understanding how to maximize the human capital of the older adult population.
These ideas, like the original 1987 article, call for ongoing empirical assessments and conceptual expansions.
In an effort to foster new scholarship on “successful aging 2.0,” we invite authors to contribute empirical assessments or innovative
conceptual manuscripts building upon the Rowe & Kahn (2015) editorial. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches are
welcome, from disciplines including sociology, psychology, demography, economics, epidemiology, and related disciplines. In keeping with the mission of Journals of Gerontology: Series B, articles should highlight the broader conceptual implications of their work. The special
issue will be a combined Social Sciences (Deborah Carr, Editor) and Psychological Sciences (Bob Knight, Editor) publication.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• The role of technology in successful aging
• How positive psychology can influence models of successful aging
• Social structural influences on successful aging
• Comparisons and assessments of other psychosocial models of successful aging and their relation to Rowe and Kahn’s (2015) model.
• The challenges and potential benefits of population aging for individuals, institutions, and societies
• Populations left behind? Obstacles to successful aging in the 21st century
Submission Procedures
: To avoid duplicate topics and to enable us to develop a comprehensive special issue, a 250 word abstract describing the paper’s goals
should be submitted to either Social Sciences or Psychological Sciences by August 1, 2015. Please include all author names, affiliation
and contact information when answering the submission questions in ScholarOne. Our editors will invite selected authors to submit full
manuscripts. Full manuscripts will be evaluated using the The Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences’
usual peer review process; an invitation to submit a manuscript is not a guarantee of publication.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Abstract submission deadline:
August 1, 2015
Invitations to submit full manuscripts: October 1, 2015
Manuscript submission deadline: February 1, 2016
Print Publication: estimated January or March 2017
Before submission, authors should carefully read The Journal of Gerontology, Series B Author Guidelines located at:
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/geronb/for_authors/
Manuscripts should be uploaded either to: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jgss or
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jgps.psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org
Source: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/geronb/series%20b_cfp.pdf (24/4/2015).
