Life span and life course approaches to dermatological disease.

Social and behavioral scientists have long been interested in cumulative, life course processes. This chapter reviews prototypical questions and methods from the life span approach in psychology as well as the life course approach in sociology. Their relevance for understanding the unfolding lives of those who suffer from skin disorders is then considered. Key themes extracted from these approaches are how skin disease impacts life course development, how skin disorders influence personal agency and social networks, whether the historical context surrounding dermatological disease is changing, how accumulation processes occur over time, and the need to consider multiple life pathways, involving both profiles of vulnerability and resilience.