Matilda Riley (1998: 30), at a ripe age of 87—died at age 93 on 14 November 2004, two years after her husband Jack—identifies an important principle, namely "Because society changes, members of different cohorts (born a different times) grow older in different ways (the 'cohort principle')". She cites a 1972 statement (p. 32), namely that "Over the life course, individuals enter roles but relinquish others, acquire certain capacities and motivations but loose others".
Riley (1998: 39) uses an escalator as metaphor for aging—"as people age, they move diagonally upward with age and across time (in this figure of speech they move through different societal scenery)". However, unlike the static floors that are connected by escalator, societal structures are continually changing. Riley (1998: 43) also emphasises that life courses do not only relate to society at large, but also to smaller groups within.
Riley, M.W. 1998. A life course approach—autobiographical notes (pp. 28-51). In Giele, J.Z. & Elder (Jr.), G.H. (Eds.) 1998. Methods of life course research—qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks: SAGE
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