In an interview with the Gergens, Ken talks about the Social Construction of the concept of declining with advancing years and feeling a personal challenge to change that meaning for himself. Mary discuses the pleasure she derives from undermining a popular cultural myth. Aging is a lamination of all of the skills and experiences we have had and it leads to an accumulation rather than a depletion of resources. Their online newsletter on positive aging, a research based online journal is discussed.
Mary Gergen, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies at Pennsylvania State University, as well as Division Head of Psychology for the Commonwealth College. She is author of Impious Improvisations: Feminist Reconstructions in Psychology, and co-editor of Toward a New Psychology of Gender and co-author of textbooks in social psychology, introductory psychology and statistics.

Kenneth J. Gergen is Mustin Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College. He is a major contributor to theory and research in social construction, and his writings treat a wide range of topics, including postmodernism, organizational process, education, technology, and the self. He is an Associate Editor of the American Psychologist and Theory and Psychology. Among his books are Toward Transformation in Social Knowledge, The Saturated Self, Realities and Relationships and An Invitation to Social Construction. They are co-founders of The Taos Institute.

Running Time: 25 Minutes