Biological Models of Behavior and the Life Course

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Citation

Shanahan, Michael J.; Hofer, Scott M.; & Shanahan, Lilly (2003). Biological Models of Behavior and the Life Course.. Mortimer, Jeylan T. & Shanahan, Michael J. (Eds.) (pp. 597-622). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Abstract

Many topics of interest to life course sociology are linked in significant ways to biological processes. These topics include, for example, trajectories of physical and mental health, the stress process, patterns of aggression and deviance, sexual behavior, fertility, parenting, and manifold dimensions of aging and mortality. Many other topics are also likely to be linked to biological processes, albeit less conspicuously, including educational and occupational careers, patterns of close interpersonal relationships both within and beyond the family, and one’s involvement and status in organizations. With few notable exceptions, relatively little interest has been expressed in these possibilities to date. Yet as George (this volume) notes, the future of the life course will hopefully be characterized by its intellectual exchanges with other subfields. Given their many plausible links to the life course, biological models of behavior are excellent candidates for interdisciplinary research.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48247-2_27

Reference Type

Book Section

Year Published

2003

Series Title

Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research

Author(s)

Shanahan, Michael J.
Hofer, Scott M.
Shanahan, Lilly