How are human and social development, maturation, ageing, stability and change reflected and constituted in interaction and social texts? This volume explores these questions from the viewpoint that rhetorical accomplishment plays a significant role in lifespan development and in the quality of our developmental experiences.

Whether the focus is on transitions through student careers, mother-daughter relationships or marital communication, the contributors to this multidisciplinary volume provide specific analyses of discursive practices in and through which age-related identities and roles are formulated, challenged or consolidated. The result is a dynamic view of lifespan development in our culture.