Introduction: The Need for Theory in Gerontology / Simon Biggs, Jon Hendricks and Ariela Lowenstein
Ch. 1. Critical Gerontological Theory: Intellectual Fieldwork and the Nomadic Life of Ideas / Steven Katz
Ch. 2. Perils and Possibilities of Theory / Ruth E. Ray
Ch. 3. Legacy of Social Constructionism for Social Gerontology / Hans-Joachim von Kondratowitz
Ch. 4. Structure and Identity - Mind the Gap: Toward a Personal Resource Model of Successful Aging / Jon Hendricks
Ch. 5. Sense and Structure: Toward a Sociology of Old Bodies / Emmanuelle Tulle
Ch. 6. Contemporary Later-Life Family Transitions: Revisiting Theoretical Perspectives on Aging and the Family - Toward a Family Identity Framework / Ariela Lowenstein
Ch. 7. Aging Paradox: Toward Personal Meaning in Gerontological Theory / Gerben J. Westerhof, Freya Dittmann-Kohli and Christina Bode
Ch. 8. Negotiating Aging Identity: Surface, Depth, and Masquerade / Simon Biggs
Ch. 9. Globalization and the Reconstruction of Old Age: New Challenges for Critical Gerontology / Chris Phillipson
Ch. 10. Theoretical Approaches to Problems of Families, Aging, and Social Support in the Context of Modernization / Merril Silverstein, Vern L. Bengtson and Eugene Litwak
Ch. 11. Theorizing Age Relations / Toni Calasanti
Ch. 12. Theoretical Perspectives on Old Age Policy: A Critique and a Proposal / Carroll L. Estes
Conclusion: Where is Theory Headed? / Simon Biggs, Jon Hendricks and Ariela Lowenstein.