Final answer:
Normal aging is best characterized by aging under development-enhancing and age-friendly environmental conditions (option A) , as individuals often maintain their prior activities, behaviors, and roles. This reflects a continuation of a person's existing lifestyle and ability to adapt to age-related changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which of the following best characterizes normal aging. Option A, which describes aging under development-enhancing and age-friendly environmental conditions, is the closest description of normal aging. According to Atchley's Continuity Theory of Normal Aging, normal aging involves maintaining the same activities, behaviors, and roles for as long as possible, which aligns with living in a supportive environment.
Primary aging is inevitable biological changes, while secondary aging is due to lifestyle choices and environmental factors, such as lack of physical exercise or poor diet. Understanding normal aging includes recognizing the effects aging has on a body's system, acknowledging specific disorders that may manifest over time, being aware of susceptibility to diseases, and challenges such as loss of independence and age discrimination. However, many individuals continue to live healthy, active, and fulfilling lives well into old age.