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No, the Third Age is not something mystical, as in new age religion. The Third Age refers to the developmental life stage that Peter Laslett (1991) defined as beginning with retirement and ending with dependence. Laslett's four ages of human experience, defined by task, agenda, and perspective rather than age, suggest a "radical revision of our attitude to aging and achievement" (p. vii). Laslett's theory specifies no age ranges, nor are the stages necessarily sequential. Among Laslett's four ages (see Table 1), the third is most notable because it has not been previously identified or defined. Laslett based his "fresh map of life" (p. ix) on current population studies, which highlight the discrepancy between the traditional retirement age (60 to 65 years) and the reality of continued health and vitality often well into the 80s (Laslett, 1991, 1997). The Third Age releases older adults from the burden of work and frees them to follow their dreams, to choose a more personally satisfying type of work, or to find creative and meaningful leisure pursuits. Rather than idleness, Laslett (1991) expects that Third Agers will spend their golden years in "founding, shaping, sustaining, and extending their own institutions" (p. viii). In contrast to older theories of adult development, which focus on acceptance of loss and preparation for death, Laslett's Third Age offers a positive and hopeful outlook for today's retirees. Knowing that self-fulfillment, social participation, and community involvement are central life tasks in retirement can help occupational therapy practitioners and older clients to refine their criteria for goal selection and engagement in appropriate activities.
Current evidence supports the separation of the Third and Fourth Ages of Laslett's theory (Higgs, Blane, Wiggins, & Hyde, 2001). Advances in gerontological science, medicine, and social policy have "formed a powerful political coalition that resulted in major increases in longevity and the quality of human aging, especially for the young old, that is, the Third Age" (Baltes & Smith, 2001, p. 1). Adams (2004), who studied the 65 to 94 age range, found a significant shift in perceived engagement in the 75 and older age group. The young-old (65 to 75 years) preferred active instrumental pursuits, such as entertaining others, shopping, or attending meetings or the theater, whereas the old-old (75-94...