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 Modem 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: Intergenerational 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); Impact of Work on Older Individuals (1995); 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). The proposed conferences will address the topics of Societal Impacts on Personal Control in the Elderly (2000); Impact of Technology on Successful Aging (2001); and, Impact of Religion on Health and Well-being in the Elderly (2002). Each conference will involve 18 invited participants and up to 100 observers. Papers and discussions will be published in volumes edited by the conference organizers in their """"""""Societal Impact on Aging"""""""" series.
