Introduction: Perspectives of Resilience and Aging

Wister, Andrew V.; Cosco, Theodore D.

This chapter provides a rationale for the theme of this book, an overarching conceptual framework, and summarizes and integrates the other 11 chapters. It will also detail the Friesen Conference, entitled “Understanding and Fostering Resilience in Older Adults,” held at Simon Fraser University, June 10–11, 2019, that served as a springboard for this work. This chapter also positions resilience thinking against broader theoretical developments in the gerontological literature, including positive and developmental psychological approaches of aging, the selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) model, life-course theory, stress and homeostasis theory, person-environment theory, socio-environmental theory, complex systems models, community development approaches, and successful aging models. It is contended that conceptual, theoretical, and measurement developments as well as innovations embedded in this volume will generate a new phase in resilience research applied to aging and older adults. This volume is particularly relevant in the current and post-COVID-19 era, which has placed aging-related issues in the forefront.