New Dimensions in Spirituality, Religion, and Aging

Vern L. Bengtson is Research Professor in the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the University of Southern California (USC). Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Bengston held the AARP/University Chair at USC and was past president of Gerontological Society of America and a MERIT awardee from the National Institutes of Health. He has written extensively on gerontology, sociology of aging, and religion, publishing 17 books and over 250 research papers. Merril Silverstein is Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies and the inaugural holder of the Marjorie Cantor Chair in Aging Studies at Syracuse University. Dr. Silverstein’s research has focused on aging in the context of family life in over 150 research publications, with added emphases on life course and international perspectives. He is a Brookdale Fellow and Fulbright Senior Scholar, and between 2010-2014 served as editor-in-chief of Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

Part I. Religion and Aging in Contemporary America 1. Spirituality, Religion, and Aging: New Dimensions in Human Development. 2. The Current Landscape of American Religion: Diversity, Individualization, and the Implications for an Aging Population. Part II. Meaning and Meaning-Making in Spirituality and Aging 3. Spiritual Journeys: Narratives of Meaning and Direction. 4. Meaning Making Narratives among Non-Religious Individuals Facing the End of Life 5. The role of Questioning in Religious and Spiritual Development in Later Life. 6. Religion and Health in the US Context of Secularization and Aging Part III. Religion, Health, and Wisdom 7. The Roles of Cognition and Culture in Understanding the Links between Religion and Health. 8. How Religion Affects Health: Views from Midway through an Odyssey. 9. Spirituality and Wisdom: Their Differential Effects on Older Adults’ Spiritual Behavior, Well-Being, and Attitudes toward Death. Part IV. Changing Contexts of Spirituality and Aging 10. Religion and Spirituality for Aging Boomers: Exploring the Issues 11. Spirituality and Life Review at the End of Life in Old Age. 12. Stages on Life's Way: Life Review through Dreams. 13. Religiosity and Aging: Patterns of Change When Approaching the End of Life. Part V. Pointing Toward the Future 14. Research and Practice: Spirituality, Religion, and Aging.