This book is the outgrowth of a workshop sponsored in 1987 by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and its European Network on Longitudinal Studies on Individual Development (David L. Magnusson, Chairman). The workshop had two interrelated purposes. The first was to explore the nature of successful aging, its conditions, and its variations. The second was to highlight the importance of longitudinal and cohort-sequential studies in gaining an adequate understanding of the factors, causes, and contexts of successful aging.

There is a dearth of longitudinal research primarily designed to understand the precursors and conditions of “successful” aging. Nevertheless, we believed that it should be possible to select authors who in all probability would be able to draw on their longitudinal data sources and reanalyze them with such a purpose in mind. We are grateful to the authors for their efforts to respond imaginatively to the challenge posed and for their commitment to improving their chapters on the basis of stimulating conference discussions.