Plasticity in old age: Micro- and macroperspectives on social contexts

According to lifespan psychology, human development is characterized by plasticity at all ages. The degree of plasticity depends on the internal and external resources of an individual. With increasing age, the range of plasticity decreases, and the importance of external resources in supporting plasticity is augmented (e.g., Greve & Staudinger, 2006; Staudinger, Marsiske, & Baltes, 1995). Internal and external resources are part and parcel of the internal and external contexts of development. Thus, the study of developmental contexts, and in particular of external developmental contexts, is pivotal when trying to understand the range and limits of plasticity in old age. Lifespan psychology has developed a wide array of paradigms and methodologies that have helped to explore the contexts of old age and their influence on plasticity and resilience. This chapter reviews some of this research with a focus on social contexts as a major developmental influence in old age. In particular, we discuss two types of social context, one is of a microsocial or proximal (i.e., intergenerational relations) and the other is of a macrosocial or distal nature (i.e., public images of old age and aging). In the end, we hope to have demonstrated that psychological evidence emerging from the study of these contexts enriches the scientific as well as the political debate.