Late and Late Late Adulthood (Age 60 and beyond)

Abstract

The elderly are the fastest growing segment of the population yet, until recently, the study of their development and methods of treatment specifically suited to them, was neglected. In this chapter, I plan to summarize the most current thinking in the field and point the way to future theoretical and clinical elaboration. The presentation will be divided into four subsections: the developmental tasks of late adulthood, the literature on psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in the second half of life, the nature of psychopathology in late adulthood, and treatment considerations. Material in this chapter is elaborated on in the new edition of the Course of Life, edited by Stanley Greenspan and George Pollock. That chapter is entitled “Development and Treatment in Late Adulthood.”