Final answer:
John would be best characterized as a gerontologist, a specialist who studies aging in a sociological context, not simply as a medical concern, integrating various disciplines to understand the broad impacts of growing older on individuals and society. The correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
John, who has dedicated his career to changing the perception of old age from one of loss to a phase of continued change, would be characterized as a gerontologist. Gerontologists focus on studying age, aging, and the elder population from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint, fostering an understanding of how aging affects individuals and society. Unlike geriatricians who are medical doctors specializing in treating older patients, gerontologists could be medical and biological scientists, social scientists, or researchers in various other domains, including social gerontology. The oldest adults, known as supercentenarians, continue to be part of these studies as their experiences offer vast insights into the aging process and life expectancy.
Gerontology encompasses a wide range of factors, exploring biological, social, psychological, and even economic aspects of aging. Theories within this field, such as the modernization theory and the selective optimization with compensation theory, aim to explain the dynamics of aging within a societal context. Gerontology is not exclusively about mitigating the negatives of aging but is also about understanding the potential for growth, learning, and contribution beyond the conventional retirement age. This perspective is reinforced by observations that societal attitudes toward old age and dying constantly evolve, and there is a noticeable will among the elderly to remain productive and engaged in their communities.