Abstract
During the last twenty years, sociological analysis has improved our understanding of the dynamic interrelationships between demographic aging and changes in individual aging processes, particularly by looking in more detail at structural and cohort changes in the life situation of the elderly population. Sociological research has provided particularly fruitful contributions on the impact of demographic aging (low fertility rates combined with increased life expectancy) on intergenerational relationships. While research on demographic aging and individual aging has made much progress, public perceptions and political discourses are still dominated by deficit-oriented and simplified views of demographic aging (also due to the fact that demographic aging is mostly measured by using obsolete chronological age definitions).
