application): This proposal requests funds to continue a series of conferences designed to explore the interfaces between disciplines concerned with the study of societal macro- and micro-structures and those disciplines specifically concerned with the investigation of individual differences in human aging processes. Thus far the conferences have addressed the topics of: Social Structure and the Psychological Aging Processes (1986); Comparative Perspectives on Age Structuring in Modern Societies (1987); Self-directedness and Efficacy: Causes and Effects throughout the Life Course (1988); Aging, Health Behaviors and Health Outcomes (1989); Social Structure and Caregiving: Family and Cross-National Perspectives (1990); Social Structure and Aging: Historical Perspectives (1991); Societal Impact on Aging: Inter-generational Perspectives (1992); Impact of the Law on Older Adults' Decision-making Capacity: Social, Behavioral, Legal, and Ethical Perspectives (1993); Societal Mechanisms for Maintaining Competence in Old Age (1994); and Impact of Work on Older Individuals (1995). The proposed conferences will address the topics of Social Structures and Mobility in the Elderly (1997); Social Structures and the Aging Self-Concept (1998); and Societal Structures and Effective Health Behavior in the Elderly (1999). Each conference will involve 18 invited participants and up to 60 observers. Papers and discussions will be published in volumes edited by the conference organizers in their """"""""Societal Impact on Aging"""""""" series.
