A General Theory of Biological Aging

See also:
What is Aging?      Theories of Aging      Population Aging



Greetings,

We are pleased to find out recently that our theory of biological aging has received attention in a new "The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing" published by Cambridge University Press in 2005:



Specifically, the first introductory chapter 1.1 there entitled "The Problem of Theory in Gerontology Today" written by Vern L. Bengtson, Norella M. Putney and Malcolm L. Johnson presents our reliability theory of aging at page 10 in a following way:

A General Theory of Biological Ageing

"To address the need to organize the diverse findings of biological ageing research into a comprehensive body of knowledge, Gavrilov and Gavrilova (2003) recently proposed the application of a general theory of systems failure known as reliability theory to explain ageing processes in humans. Their holistic approach complements the evolutionary perspective on ageing and longevity. Reliability theory predicts that a system may deteriorate with age even if it is built from nonageing elements. The theory postulates that it is the system’s redundancy for irreplaceable elements which is responsible for the ageing phenomenon. Gavrilov and Gavrilova note that the human species displays considerable system redundancy, and that the positive effect of system redundancy is damage tolerance (which decreases mortality and increases lifespan). This makes it possible for damage to be accumulated over time, thus producing the ageing phenomenon. Gavrilov and Gavrilova’s research demonstrates that systems that have higher redundancy show a higher ageing rate or expression of ageing. This helps explain the cases of negligible senescence observed in the wild and at extreme old ages."

Here is some info about the authors of this book chapter and the book:

MALCOLM L. JOHNSON is Professor of Health and Social Policy (Emeritus), University of Bristol, and Director of the International Institute on Health and Ageing. From 1984 to 1995 he was Professor and Dean of the School of Health and Social Welfare at the Open University. He has published 9 books and over 150 chapters and articles reflecting the broad range of his academic interests, of which ageing, the lifespan and end-of-life issues are the most prominent. He is a former Associate Editor of Sociology of Health and Illness, was Secretary of the British Society of Gerontology and Founding Editor of the international journal Ageing and Society (1980–92). He has taught and researched widely in the UK and has been Distinguished Visiting Professor at several North American universities. E-mail: Malcolm.Johnson(at)Bristol.ac.uk

VERN L. BENGTSON is the AARP/University Chair in Gerontology and Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California. He has published 15 books and over 220 articles. He was elected President of the Gerontological Society of America and has been granted a MERIT award from the National Institute on Aging for his 35-year Longitudinal Study of Generations.


Full text of this chapter is publicly available online at:

http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521533708&ss=exc
and
here

Any comments and suggestions are welcome!

Kind regards,

Leonid Gavrilov:
http://longevity-science.org/CV-gavrilov.htm

Natalia Gavrilova:
http://longevity-science.org/CV-gavrilova.htm

P.S.: Here is the Table of Contents for this new book:

List of Contributors page xii

Foreword xvii
GARY R. ANDREWS

General Editor's Preface xxi
MALCOLM L. JOHNSON

PART ONE. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
1.1 The Problem of Theory in Gerontology Today 3
VERN L. BENGTSON, NORELLA M. PUTNEY AND MALCOLM L. JOHNSON

1.2 Ageing and Changing: International Historical Perspectives on Ageing 21
W. ANDREW ACHENBAUM

1.3 Global Ageing: The Demographic Revolution in All Cultures and Societies 30
ALEXANDRE KALACHE, SANDHI MARIA BARRETO AND INGRID KELLER

1.4 The Psychological Science of Human Ageing 47
PAUL B. BALTES, ALEXANDRA M. FREUND AND SHU-CHEN LI

1.5 The Biological Science of Human Ageing 72
THOMAS B. L. KIRKWOOD

PART TWO. THE AGEING BODY
2.1 Biodemography and Epidemiology of Longevity 85
BERNARD JEUNE AND KAARE CHRISTENSEN

2.2 The Epidemiology of Ageing 95
CHRISTINA VICTOR

2.3 Patterns of Illness and Mortality Across the Adult Lifespan 106
EDLIRA GJONÇA AND MICHAEL MARMOT

2.4 Sensory Impairment 121
TOM H. MARGRAIN AND MIKE BOULTON

2.5 Mobility and Falls 131
ROSE ANNE KENNY

2.6 The Genetics of Behavioural Ageing 141
GERALD E. MCCLEARN AND STEPHEN A. PETRILL

2.7 Psychodynamic Approaches to the Lifecourse and Ageing 149
SIMON BIGGS

2.8 Cultural Approaches to the Ageing Body 156
CHRIS GILLEARD

2.9 Promoting Health and Wellbeing in Later Life 165
HANNES B. STAEHELIN

PART THREE. THE AGEING MIND
3.1 Psychological Approaches to Human Development 181
JUTTA HECKHAUSEN

3.2 Cognitive Changes Across the Lifespan 190
PAT RABBITT

3.3 Age-related Changes in Memory 200
ELIZABETH A. MAYLOR

3.4 Intelligence and Wisdom 209
ROBERT J. STERNBERG AND ELENA L. GRIGORENKO

3.5 Everyday Competence in Older Adults 216
K. WARNER SCHAIE, JULIE B. BORON AND SHERRY L. WILLIS

3.6 The Psychology of Emotions and Ageing 229
GISELA LABOUVIE-VIEF

3.7 Personality and Ageing 237
URSULA M. STAUDINGER

3.8 Depression 245
AMY FISKE AND RANDI S. JONES

3.9 Dementia 252
BOB WOODS

3.10 Dementia in an Asian Context 261
JINZHOU TIAN

PART FOUR. THE AGEING SELF
4.1 Self and Identity 275
FREYA DITTMANN-KOHLI

4.2 Stress and Coping 292
LINDA K. GEORGE

4.3 Reminiscence: Developmental, Social and Clinical Perspectives 301
PETER G. COLEMAN

4.4 The Social Worlds of Old Age 310
JABER F. GUBRIUM

4.5 Listening to the Past: Reminiscence and Oral History 316
JOANNA BORNAT

4.6 Elder Abuse in Developing Nations 323
LIA SUSANA DAICHMAN

4.7 The Self in Dementia 332
STEVEN R. SABAT

4.8 Ageism 338
BILL BYTHEWAY

4.9 Profiles of the Oldest-Old 346
LEONARD W. POON, YURI JANG, SANDRA G. REYNOLDS AND ERICK MCCARTHY

4.10 Images of Ageing: Cultural Representations of Later Life 354
MIKE FEATHERSTONE AND MIKE HEPWORTH

4.11 Religion, Spirituality, and Older People 363
ALFONS MARCOEN

4.12 Quality of Life and Ageing 371
SVEIN OLAV DAATLAND

4.13 The Transformation of Dying in Old Societies 378
CLIVE SEALE

4.14 The Psychology of Death 387
ROBERT A. NEIMEYER AND JAMES L. WERTH, JR

4.15 Death and Spirituality 394
ELIZABETH MACKINLAY

PART FIVE. THE AGEING OF RELATIONSHIPS
5.1 Global Ageing and Challenges to Families 403
ARIELA LOWENSTEIN

5.2 Ageing Parents and Adult Children: New Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships 413
ROSEANN GIARRUSSO, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN, DAPHNA GANS AND VERN L. BENGTSON

5.3 Grandparenthood 422
SARAH HARPER

5.4 Sibling Ties across Time: the Middle and Later Years 429
INGRID ARNET CONNIDIS

5.5 Filial Piety in Changing Asian Societies 437
AKIKO HASHIMOTO AND CHARLOTTE IKELS

5.6 Generational Memory and Family Relationships 443
CLAUDINE ATTIAS-DONFUT AND FRANÇOIS-CHARLES WOLFF

5.7 Family Caregivers: Increasing Demands in the Context of 21st-Century Globalization? 455
NEENA L. CHAPPELL AND MARGARET J. PENNING

5.8 Network Dynamics in Later Life 463
FLEUR THOMÉSE, THEO VAN TILBURG, MARJOLEIN BROESE VAN GROENOU AND KEES KNIPSCHEER

5.9 Changing Family Relationships in Developing Nations 469
ISABELLA ABODERIN

5.10 Ethnic Diversity in Ageing, Multicultural Societies 476
JAMES S. JACKSON, EDNA BROWN, TONI C. ANTONUCCI AND SVEIN OLAV DAATLAND

5.11 Gay and Lesbian Elders 482
KATHERINE R. ALLEN

PART SIX. THE AGEING OF SOCIETIES
6.1 The Lifecourse Perspective on Ageing: Linked Lives, Timing and History 493
VERN L. BENGTSON, GLEN H. ELDER, JR AND NORELLA M. PUTNEY

6.2 The Political Economy of Old Age 502
CHRIS PHILLIPSON

6.3 Moral Economy and Ageing 510
JON HENDRICKS

6.4 Generational Changes and Generational Equity 518
MARTIN KOHLI

6.5 Gender Dimensions of the Age Shift 527
SARA ARBER AND JAY GINN

6.6 Migration and Older People 538
CHARLES F. LONGINO, JR, AND ANTHONY M. WARNES

6.7 Do Longevity and Health Generate Wealth? 546
ROBERT N. BUTLER

6.8 Women, Ageing and Inequality: a Feminist Perspective 552
CARROLL L. ESTES

PART SEVEN. POLICIES AND PROVISIONS FOR OLDER PEOPLE
7.1 The Social Construction of Old Age as a Problem 563
MALCOLM L. JOHNSON

7.2 Restructuring the Lifecourse: Work and Retirement 572
VICTOR W. MARSHALL AND PHILIP TAYLOR

7.3 Ethical Dilemmas in Old Age Care 583
HARRY R. MOODY

7.4 Wealth, Health, and Ageing: the Multiple Modern Complexities of Financial Gerontology 588
NEAL E. CUTLER

7.5 Formal and Informal Community Care for Older Adults 597
DEMI PATSIOS AND ADAM DAVEY

7.6 Health Policy and Old Age: an International Review 605
JILL QUADAGNO, JENNIFER REID KEENE AND DEBRA STREET

7.7 Gerontological Nursing – the State of the Art 613
BRENDAN MCCORMACK

7.8 Delivering Effective Social / Long Term Care to Older People 622
BLEDDYN DAVIES

7.9 Delivering Care to Older People at Home 630
KRISTINA LARSSON, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN AND MATS THORSLUND

7.10 Long Term Care 638
ROBERT L. KANE AND ROSALIE A. KANE

7.11 Managed Care in the United States and United Kingdom 647
ROBERT L. KANE AND CLIVE E. BOWMAN

7.12 Healthcare Rationing: Is Age a Proper Criterion? 656
RUUD TER MEULEN AND JOSY UBACHS-MOUST

7.13 Adaptation to New Technologies 662
NEIL CHARNESS AND SARA J. CZAJA

7.14 Ageing and Public Policy in Ethnically Diverse Societies 670
FERNANDO M. TORRES-GIL

Index 682