[Aging in a dynamic perspective. Partial report of a workshop]

This article concerns three contributions to the Workshop 'Life Span and Change in a Gerontological Perspective', which represent a dynamic or process-centered approach to the study of aging. Since two participants (Olbrich and Fooken) presented results of the Bonn Longitudinal Study of Aging at the workshop, the theoretical background and general characteristics of this study are reported. Olbrich concentrated on how 'Daseinstechniken' or coping strategies develop over time as older persons deal with the stressful experiences involved in aging. Fooken examined data on a small group of women, divided into groups according to marital status, for evidence of growth and development and for differences on life styles and patterns of adjustment. In his contribution to the workshop, Maas made several recommendations for longitudinal research, based on a critical re-examination of three of his own studies.