Sociological Factors

It has long been observed that people who build and maintain social relationships tend to age more successfully and have an increased quality of life than those who do not. Undeniably, one only has to look within themselves to recognize that social relationships do play an important and pivotal role in the aging process. The way one behaves toward their friends, their families, and even their God suggest strongly that those who have constructive and positive relationships tend to live a more full life and, in exchange, tend to live a longer life as well (Cunningham, 2004).

The ability to age well is dependent directly on how a life course is lived. The inclusion of positive social relationships is indicative of successful aging. Tate, Lah, and Cuddy (2003, p. 736) see successful aging “as a lifelong adaptive process” where there is an “ongoing dynamic of selective optimization with compensation.” The meaning here is that successful aging relies on the individual’s ability and capacity to make choices and adapt to the environment, thereby producing a potentially less debilitating or incapacitating struggle with the aging process itself. Again, the active engagement of self-directing one’s life is one trigger for successful aging to occur. The ability to continually adjust within the aging process is indicative of life satisfaction and quality of life, culminating to the perception that one is successfully aging. Rowe and Kahn (1997) posit that aging successfully means aging well. Aging well includes the aspects of growing older.