Avoiding Aging? Social Psychology’s Treatment of Age

Sociology gives limited attention to age.

“Similar to other social science disciplines, sociology gives limited attention to age.”

Barrett et al. (2012) found that only 7% of articles in social psychology journals and 11% of articles in American Sociological Review between 1977 and 2006 attended seriously to age.

“They found that only 7% of the articles in the social psychology journals and 11% of those in American Sociological Review attended seriously to age.”

Content analyses reveal that sociology's attention to the broad theme of age, aging, or the life course is, in fact, a focus on life course principles.

“Further evidence is found in content analyses revealing that sociology's attention to the broad theme of age, aging, or the life course is, in fact, a focus on life course principles (Barrett & Michael 2022, Barrett et al. 2012).”

In most areas of the discipline, age is used as a control variable or as an element in the description of research participants-and warrants little notice.

“In most areas of the discipline, age is used as a control variable or as an element in the description of research participants-and warrants little notice.”

Research applying the life course perspective has proliferated since its inception in the 1970s and has come to dominate the discipline's approach to age.

“Research applying the life course perspective has proliferated since its inception in the 1970s and has come to dominate the discipline's approach to age.”