Substantial increases in the relative and absolute number of older persons in our society pose a challenge for biology, social and behavioral science, and medicine. Successful aging is multidimensional, encompassing the avoidance of disease and disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities. Research has identified factors predictive of success in these critical domains. The stage is set for intervention studies to enhance the proportion of our population aging successfully.

served as action editor for this article. Preparation of this article was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Network on Determinants and Consequences of Health-Promoting and Disease-Preventing Behavior, chaired by Judith Rodin. We would like to thank Burton Singer and George Kaplan for consulting with us on this article, Kenneth Wallston for his helpful review and comments on an earlier draft, members of the MacArthur Network for their input, and Lynae Darbes for her assistance in the research.

Research in aging has emphasized average age-related losses and neglected the substantial heterogeneity of older persons. The effects of the aging process itself have been exaggerated, and the modifying effects of diet, exercise, personal habits, and psychosocial factors underestimated. Within the category of normal aging, a distinction can be made between usual aging, in which extrinsic factors heighten the effects of aging alone, and successful aging, in which extrinsic factors play a neutral or positive role. Research on the risks associated with usual aging and strategies to modify them should help elucidate how a transition from usual to successful aging can be facilitated.

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The objective of this study is to determine the range of complex physical and cognitive abilities of older men and women functioning at high, medium and impaired ranges and to determine the psychosocial and physiological conditions that discriminate those in the high functioning group from those functioning at middle or impaired ranges. The subjects for this study were drawn from men and women aged 70-79 from 3 Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE) programs in East Boston MA, New Haven CT, and Durham County NC screened on the basis of criteria of physical and cognitive function. In 1988, 4030 men and women were screened as part of their annual EPESE interview. 1192 men and women met criteria for "high functioning". Age and sex-matched subjects were selected to represent the medium (n = 80) and low (n = 82) functioning groups. Physical and cognitive functioning was assessed from performance-based examinations and self-reported abilities. Physical function measures focused on balance, gait, and upper body strength. Cognitive exams assessed memory, language, abstraction, and praxis. Significant differences for every performance-based examination of physical and cognitive function were observed across functioning groups. Low functioning subjects were almost 3 times as likely to have an income of < or = $5000 compared to the high functioning group. They were less likely to have completed high school. High functioning subjects smoked cigarettes less and exercised more than others. They had higher levels of DHEA-S and peak expiratory flow rate. High functioning elders were more likely to engage in volunteer activities and score higher on scales of self-efficacy, mastery and report fewer psychiatric symptoms.

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This program is intended as an environmental approach to mental health in industry. As such we consider it to be complementary to the more usual approach of individual counseling and therapy. The focus is on the effects of environmental factors on the mental health of the adult, with special attention to social psychological factors in largescale organizations. We view the industrial environment and the experience of working in it both positively and negatively. That is, we see the industrial environment not only as a source of pressures and conflicts which interfere with mental health, but also as a source of support conducive to mental health. But these effects of the environment can best be understood by considering the total person-environment field. Thus it is a secondary objective of the program to contribute to an integrated theory of personality and organization which will lead to a more specific understanding of health and illness.In this article we will consider the following major issues in our programmatic work: ( I ) the central research concepts to be employed, and a schema depicting the relationships among them; (11) an approach to theory construction and to methods of research; (111) the place of motivation, self-identity and other enduring aspects of the person in this research program; ( I V ) a systematic approach to studying the industrial environment, and ( V ) the development of appropriate criteria for mental health.The scope of the program is broad, covering problems and variables which are typically studied in sociology, social psychology, clinical psychology and psychiatry, epidemiology, and physiology. The systematic position of these variables will be discussed in connection with Figure 1 before the scope of the program is further delineated