Positive Aging and Precarity

Dr Irina Catrinel Crăciun is associate professor in health psychology at the Babeş- Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania and has been guest professor of health and gender at the Freie Universität Berlin. She also works as a health psychology practitioner and is vice-president of the Romanian Health Psychology Association. She received her PhD in health psychology at the Freie Universität Berlin (supervised by prof. dr. Ralf Schwarzer) and subsequently held a post-doctoral research grant on resources for positive aging, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Several articles resulted from this project and were published in journals such as The Gerontologist, Journal of Aging Studies and Journal of Health Psychology and Journal of Women and Aging. Her research interests include a wide range of topics from health behaviour change to health communication and exploring aging, gender and psychosocial health determinants. Her recent studies focus mainly on aging and health perceptions in vulnerable populations such as aging precarious individuals, and the prevention of gender and social inequalities in health.

• Introduction.- Chapter 1: Positive Aging Theories and Views on Aging.- Chapter 2: The Politics of Positive Aging.- Chapter 3: The Social Reality of Aging.- Chapter 4: Perceptions of the Precarious Life: The Middle-Aged Precariat in Germany.- Chapter 5: Views on Aging in Precarious and Financially Secure Individuals.- Chapter 6: Preparing for Old Age.- Chapter 7: Precarity and Views on Aging.- Chapter 8: Precarity and Preparing for Old Age.- Chapter 9: Positive Aging in the Context of Precarity: Conclusions and Implications.