Abstract
This paper summarizes the research concerning the disengagement theory of aging. It examines awareness of finitude, defined as the individual's estimate of his time remaining before death, as a variable which may explain some of the contradictory findings of the disengagement literature. Interviews with 120 residents of old age institutions revealed awareness of finitude to be a better predictor of disengagement than was chronological age. Future research should examine whether awareness of finitude is also a significant predictor of disengagement outside of institutional settings.

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