Final answer:
Chris Langan's story suggests that socialization can at times play a more significant role than intelligence in a person's success, as it affects the ability to adapt to social structures and environments. This concept aligns with the selective optimization with compensation theory, which underscores balancing life's challenges at different stages, including aging.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chris Langan's story supports the belief that socialization can be more important than intelligence. This narrative demonstrates that despite having a high IQ, Langan faced numerous challenges in college that ultimately affected his academic journey. The key takeaway from his experience is that while intelligence is significant, the ability to navigate social structures and adapt to various environments plays a crucial role in one's success. Answer choice (c) 'socialization can be more important than intelligence' is the one supported by Langan's story.
On a similar note, the selective optimization with compensation theory formulated by Baltes and Baltes emphasizes that successful development and mastery of life's challenges are based on selecting goals, optimizing resources, and compensating for losses. Especially pertinent within gerontology, this theory highlights how aging individuals might balance losses with gains to maintain quality of life, which is illustrative of how the components of selection, optimization, and compensation help to navigate the changing circumstances throughout the life course.