SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, AND THE THEORETICAL LEGACY OF THE KANSAS-CITY STUDIES

The theoretical impact of the Kansas City Studies stems from issues ig nored as much as from those addressed. The largest concerted gerontolo gical investigation of its day had a profound influence on the field t hrough publications and through students trained through the studies. The studies advanced the search for ''normal'' aging hut did not initi ally adequately address diversity. However, over time, investigators w ere forced to recognize diversity in their data. They contributed to v iewing aging in a life course perspective, an advance over previous em phases on ''the aged.'' The studies adopted and furthered a highly ind ividualistic understanding of aging, while the sociological analyses f rom the studies lacked an adequate conceptualization of social structu re.