title: Awareness of Aging: Theoretical Considerations on an Emerging Concept.
abstract: Humans are able to reflect on and interpret their own aging. Thus, as individuals grow older, calendar age may become increasingly a subjective variable. This theoretical paper proposes the concept of Awareness of Aging (AoA) as a superordinate construct that can serve an integrative function in developmental research on subjective aging. It is argued that the AoA construct can incorporate the theoretical components of other existing concepts by acknowledging that judgments of subjective aging tend to be made on an awareness continuum ranging from pre-conscious/implicit to conscious/explicit. We also argue that processes of AoA are inherently self-related processes and that AoA is a particular aspect of self-awareness that results in specific aging-related self-knowledge. Over time, aging individuals incorporate this self-knowledge into their self-concept and personal identity. We provide theoretical evidence showing that although all major theories of adult development and aging draw on phenomena related to AoA, the explicit incorporation of aging-related awareness processes has been missing. We also provide an overarching framework to illustrate in a heuristic way how AoA in combination and interaction with other influences affects developmental outcomes. Finally, we argue that attention to AoA-related processes has a number of societal and applied implications and thereby addresses issues of applied developmental psychology.
authors: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, USA.
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Diehl
authors: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors: Hans-Werner
authors: HW
authors: Wahl
authors: Department of Sociology, Florida State University, USA.
authors: Anne E
authors: AE
authors: Barrett
authors: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, USA.
authors: Allyson F
authors: AF
authors: Brothers
authors: Department of Psychological Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Miche
authors: RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, Lasell College, USA.
authors: Joann M
authors: JM
authors: Montepare
authors: Department of Psychology, Health, and Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
authors: Gerben J
authors: GJ
authors: Westerhof
authors: Institute for Psychogerontology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Wurm
keywords: awareness of aging; self-awareness and self-regulation; subjective aging; theories of adult development and aging