Date of Award

1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Arlene Taich

Second Advisor

Josephine Ingram

Third Advisor

Betty LeMasters

Abstract

This study examines the present state of aging and longevity research as it applies to longevous elderly, those who reach their 10th and 11th decade of life. Their numbers, if not percentages, have risen considerably in the growing elderly population, The difference between the longevous and other elderly persons is not just one of degree, but of kind. Each of them is a living biological prototype of the human potential to live an extended life span without significant loss of vitality.

Many past studies of longevous population have been marred by inaccurate claims based on unreliable data. Beyond that, researchers have shown a persistent compulsion to interpret and organize very limited data into lists of common denominators. This exclusive focus on shared characteristics often excluded important factors, distorted research results, and ultimately failed in establishing any universal factors.

The major thrust of this study is to highlight the fallacy of the generalizing approach by proceeding from the hypothesis that, with the exception of heredity, there is no single, identifiable trait shared by longevous individuals. To test this hypothesis, the study analyzes data gathered from interviews with, and observation of, a selected group of nonagenarians and centenarians,

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