The definitive reference on adult development and aging from the American Psychological Association. Edited by Margie Lachman, Avron Spiro, Susan Charles, and Shevaun Neupert, this handbook offers a comprehensive overview of foundational theories and cutting-edge research for scholars, graduate students, and clinicians.
Available as an ebook February 10, 2026, and in print March 24, 2026
Part of the APA Handbooks in Psychology® Series | American Psychological Association
The study of adult development and aging is a rapidly growing field, as the older adult population continues to increase. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of adult development and aging, including theory and methods, biological factors and health, personality and individual differences, cognition, mental health and clinical issues, variability and diversity in development, and social and contextual factors.
Each chapter provides a state-of-the-art review of a different domain of adult development and aging and applies a lifespan developmental lens to the topic, addressing aspects of continuity and change in biopsychosocial processes across multiple aspects of adult development, with an emphasis on midlife and later adulthood. Distinguished scholars and researchers included in this handbook contribute a broad variety of perspectives, approaches, and methods, demonstrating the heterogeneity and diversity of adult development and aging. The volume provides foundational research and explication of theories as well as insight into current topics of growing importance within the field.
About the Editor
Margie E. Lachman, PhD
Minnie and Harold Fierman Professor of Psychology, Brandeis University
Dr. Lachman specializes in research on adult development and aging. With 30+ years of expertise, she has authored landmark publications on aging and is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and Gerontological Society of America.
About the Series
The APA Handbooks in Psychology® series provides comprehensive, authoritative, and field-defining reference works that encapsulate the core areas of psychological science.
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