Enjoy Old Age: A Program of Self-Management

this is one of the best selfhelp books i have ever read. it is directed to old people, but young people can get a lot of benefit from reading it.

This slim volume is one of the best self-help books I've read. Instead of being filled with cheer-up nostrums, it offers a pragmatic, face-reality view of old age, as a time of diminished capabilities that can be worked around. It is permeated with Skinner's behavioralism, though not labelled as such until an appendix that maps the text's plain-spoken simplicity to technical terms of behaviorism. Its central precept is both devoid of sentimentality yet oddly comforting, for it puts the power to mitigate old-age's drawbacks within the individual's power: "In all these examples [of coping with, defeating, or succumbing to, the drags and diminutions of old age], what people feel is the by-product of what they do and of the circumstances under which they do it. Instead of trying to feel differently by some act of will, you do better to change what is felt by changing the circumstances responsible for it."

This is a surprisingly practical guide to living from the great behavioral psychologist, B.F. Skinner and a young co-author. A lifetime of careful observation of the behavior of humans and other animals gave him a great deal of insight into the practical difficulties of dealing with whatever subset of the infirmities of age may beset one. He relentlessly applies the behaviorist "ABC" [antecedent (setting) / behavior (action) / consequences] model to many challenges of daily life and comes up with refreshingly honest, direct, even bold, solutions. Many libraries probably have a copy on their shelves. But, once you read it, you may want to have one on your nightstand, next to your pen-light, notepad, and pencil. You may want to give it to some of your more whiney aging friends and acquaintances, too.

Whatever you think of behaviorism, or Skinner's other works, this book is an admirable effort, and his approach to old age can be profitably adapted by those of any age. Skinner takes a clear-eyed look at how to alter one's environment -- one's home, one's habits, developed over a lifetime but often suboptimal for the person one has become -- to minimize inconveniences and maximize enjoyment.I first read this book in my early 20s, and I was profoundly struck by Skinner's pragmatic assessment of his circumstances and his focus on making positive steps to improve his life. [Incidentally, I shared an elevator ride with Skinner around the time this book came out (before I had read it) -- we didn't talk, but he scowled at me.]

When he was almost 80 years old Skinner, the creator of behaviourism, decided to share with us his wisdom about old age. This is a very useful book for people approaching old age, or for those who have to deal with old people.