The many and diverse interpretations of the word control make it clear that control constitutes a fundamental concern in most areas of psychology. In an illustration of this diversity, I described my interest in controlled uses of memory at a social gathering; my new acquaintances, without realizing the non sequitur, subsequently raised issues about self control and loss of control-issues much more relevant to their own interests in psychological phenomena than are my narrow musings. Yet a second thought devoted to the semantics of control reveals underlying commonalities. For example, when older people begin to have problems with controlled uses of memory, they sometimes feel like they are losing control in a more general sense.