J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2015 Mar;70(2):269-78. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbu067. Epub 2014 Jun 6.
To encourage research on immigrants and aging by analyzing theoretical commonalities in the two fields and identifying potential contributions of aging theories, specifically to the understanding of neglected age differences in the pace of immigrant incorporation.
Survey of the historical development of assimilation theory and its successors and systematic comparison of key concepts in aging and immigrant incorporation theories.
Studies of immigrants, as well as of the life course, trace their origins to the Chicago School at the turn of the 20th century. Today, both theoretical perspectives emphasize adaptation as a time-dependent, multidimensional, nonlinear, and multidirectional process. Immigrant incorporation theories have not fully engaged with a key concern of aging theory-why there are age differences. Insights from cognitive aging and developmental biology, life-span developmental psychology, and age stratification and the life course suggest explanations for age differences in the speed of immigrant incorporation.
Theories of adaptation to aging and theories of immigrant incorporation developed so independently that they neglected the subject they have in common, namely, older immigrants. Because they address similar conceptual problems and share key assumptions, a productive dialogue between two vibrant fields is long overdue.
通过分析两个领域的理论共性，并确定老龄化理论的潜在贡献，特别是对理解移民融合速度中被忽视的年龄差异，从而鼓励对移民和老龄化的研究。
对同化理论及其后继理论的历史发展进行调查，并对老龄化和移民融合理论中的关键概念进行系统比较。
对移民以及生命历程的研究可以追溯到 20 世纪初的芝加哥学派。如今，这两种理论观点都强调适应是一个依赖时间的、多维的、非线性的和多方向的过程。移民融合理论尚未充分关注老龄化理论的一个关键关注点——为什么会存在年龄差异。认知老龄化和发展生物学、毕生发展心理学以及年龄分层和生命历程的观点为移民融合速度的年龄差异提供了解释。
适应老龄化的理论和移民融合的理论如此独立地发展，以至于它们忽略了它们共同的主题，即老年移民。由于它们涉及到类似的概念问题，并共享关键假设，因此两个充满活力的领域之间早就应该进行富有成效的对话了。
