The 14 chapters of this textbook chronicle adult development from youth through old age, emphasizing both research and interviews with adults at various stages in their lives. Topics covered include the following: (1) the academic field of adult development; (2) theories and research methods; (3) aging and disease prevention; (4) sexuality and sensory-motor functioning; (5) disease, disability, and health care; (6) intelligence; (7) memory and dementia; (8) personality; (9) psychopathology; (10) love, marriage, and intimate relationships; (11) parenthood; (12) the older family; (13) work and retirement; and (14) death and dying. Most of the chapters contain the following: description of applications and interventions, lists of key terms and concepts that are defined in the margins, and brief annotations of recommended readings. Highlights of the book include the following: how basic research translates into real-life applications; adult roles and relationships; the social issues facing adults today; ethnic, cohort, gender, socioeconomic, and individual variability; the experience of adulthood through interviews with adults in various stages and all types of providers from care providers to academic researchers; a coherent view of the field of adult development; and the evolution of adulthood and research in adult development in historical context. The book contains a glossary of 258 terms and 1,052 references. (KC)