Around the world, societies are aging and a growing proportion of their members are midlife and older. This makes positive adult development and aging of growing interest to us all. However, models of sustained engagement after midlife – particularly in later life – are needed. This talk will discuss the concept of vital engagement, or meaningful absorption in one's undertakings, and discuss the logic of exemplar research, which draws lessons about optimal functioning from the study of exemplars. The talk will summarize a series of exemplar studies focused on lives of commitment. Special attention will be given to later lives of prosocial commitment to the wider community.