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A 10‐Year Portrait of Theorizing in Family Gerontology: Making the Mosaic Visible
Author(s) -
Humble Áine M.,
Seidel Amber J.,
Yorgason Jeremy B.,
Redden Marco
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of family theory and review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.454
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1756-2589
pISSN - 1756-2570
DOI - 10.1111/jftr.12372
Subject(s) - ambivalence , intersectionality , sociology , portrait , family studies , kinship , gerontology , gender studies , psychology , social psychology , anthropology , medicine , history , art history
Based on a content analysis of family gerontology empirical studies in 13 journals (2009–2018), this article identifies theories currently being used and provides suggestions for future family gerontology theorizing. Family gerontologists are now using a greater range of theories than they were in the 1990s, including many middle‐range ones, and more scholars are citing multiple theories in their publications. Ways to advance family gerontology theorizing are to integrate more gerontology content into family theory textbooks, link middle‐range theories to broader general theories, and discuss how to use multiple theories effectively in research. Commonly used and emerging theories in family gerontology research can also be closely examined, and findings related to intersectionality and intergenerational ambivalence are briefly examined as examples of emerging theories used to study later‐life families.