Advancing the Field of Subjective Views of Aging: An Overview of Recent Achievements

The aim of this chapter is to summarize recent developments in the field of subjective views of aging (VoA) by focusing on three major perspectives: The theoretical, empirical, and translational perspective. In terms of the theoretical perspective, we believe it is time to expand the framework of VoA by incorporating related concepts (e.g., (non)essentialist beliefs about aging, subjective accelerated aging, subjective nearness to death) that recently have received increased attention in the literature, and to further integrate the various concepts by accounting for their potential synergetic effects. Regarding the empirical perspective, we highlight major developments in the field starting at the intra-individual level as assessed with methods of momentary assessment and longitudinal designs, going to the level of interpersonal relationships, and concluding at the societal and cultural level. To guide future developments in the field, we propose that the various constructs and empirical developments can be integrated in a novel framework – the Multidimensional, Multitemporal and Ecological Framework (MMEF) of VoA. Concluding with the translational perspective, we present recent endeavors to modify individuals’ VoA and to advance more favorable VoA. Overall, we demonstrate that the bulk of the recent literature has focused on VoA at the individual level and has been mostly guided by psychological approaches. Therefore, we propose that future progress in the field can be achieved by taking an interdisciplinary approach that integrates VoA and their operations across a broad range of systems, ranging from microsystems (e.g., views in the close social milieu) to macrosystems (e.g., cultural views and stereotypes).