Introduction: Importance of Comparative Analysis

Comparative aging research is a flourishing field, partly because funding in this area has increased in recent years. Comparing different societies and cultures seems especially fruitful for the analysis of societal and cultural factors in development over the life course. From a nomothetic perspective, the aim of comparisons is the search for similarities and commonalities in different societies and cultures; from an idiographic perspective, researchers are looking for societal and cultural specificity and distinctiveness. However, the potentials of comparative aging research are not fully realized for the time being. In many cases, there is little theorizing as to whether there should be differences (or similarities) in aging processes across countries, societies, or cultures. This chapter discusses the theoretical aims and ambitions of comparative aging research in general. Comparative theories are sketched, which could serve as a basis for comparative aging research, and aging theories are discussed, which could be modified to be used in comparative research. The rationale of comparative aging research is described and illustrated through empirical examples. Epistemological and methodological pitfalls (problems of conceptual, operational, functional, and measurement equivalence) are a substantial obstacle to comparative aging research. Hence, the merits and limitations of comparative designs and sampling procedures are considered.