Retirement Communities

The extension in affluent societies of average person's life span to seventy-five or more healthy years at the same time when government, business, or pensions enable people to retire in their sixties has resulted in conceptualizing the stages of life into three almost equal stages.

1. A first stage of physical and intellectual development of about thirty years. Although most physical development occurs in the first fifteen years of life, intellectual development often continues with bachelors, masters, and doctorates, and even postdoctoral residencies.

2.  A second stage of mature participation in society in the form of paid work in the economy and unpaid work in households including care for family members. The stage seems to be shrinking toward thirty years as it takes people longer to complete their education and as early retirement becomes more available. 

3. A third stage of retirement from work and family production.  As people retire earlier,  live longer, and remain healthy, those who retire at age sixty could experience thirty years of healthy active life.   

 Basics of the Theory of the Third Age

Peter Laslett (1915-2001), a British historian, established his rather positive aging theory of the Third Age in the 1980s. In Laslett's (1987) theory, one's life comprises four ages, and the culmination is in the Third Age. The phrase Third Age came from French universities, les Universités du Troisième Âge (the Universities of the Third Age), which since the 1970s have offered study opportunities to seniors relatively healthy and active, and entered English-speaking countries (Laslett, 1987)

Previously, most researchers tended to conduct their aging studies focused on negative viewpoints, such as decline in mental/physical function. Once Laslett advocated theory of the Third Age, however, his theory prevailed rapidly among developed countries, and researchers conducted positive aging studies (e.g., effects of social activities, including learning, in the Third Age [Saddler, 2006]).

According to Laslett's (1987, 1991) theory of the Third Age, one's life consists of four ages, and its culmination comes at the Third Age. Those in each age are called first, second, third, or fourth agers, respectively (Carr, 2009). The respective ages have characteristics:

First Age: an era for dependence, socialization, immaturity, and learning

Second Age: an era for independence, maturity, responsibility, and working

Third Age: an era for personal achievement and fulfillment after retirement, and

Fourth Age: an era for the final dependence, decrepitude, and death

In Laslett's (1987, 1991) theory of the Third Age, old age further comprises two ages, the Third and Four Ages. That is, some elders are healthy and thus third agers, whereas others are frail and thus fourth agers.

In my opinion dividing old age into Third and Fourth ages is a mistake. It makes Third Agers into an elite while it marginalizes those on the Fourth Age. Most third agers have the ability to not only fulfill themselves but also contribute greatly to the common good of society including caring for those who face dependency, poor health and death. 

University of the Third Age Movement

u3a learn laugh live

One of the largest member organizations in the u k our members have stepped aside from full time work, learn together, make friends and have fun