Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mirowsky, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mirowsky, J.

Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 52, Issue 3 S125-S134, Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Age, subjective life expectancy, and the sense of control: the horizon hypothesis

J Mirowsky
The Ohio State University, Columbus. mirowsky.1@osu.edu

This article reports a test of the horizon hypothesis, which states that greater subjective life expectancy increases the sense of control over one's own life and in part accounts for the negative association between age and the sense of control. Results of a U.S. survey of 2,029 respondents aged 18 and older (934 aged 50 and older) support the hypothesis. Subjective life expectancy has a significant positive association with the sense of control that does not vanish with adjustment for race, sex, education, income, widowhood, inability to work because of a disability, physical impairment, and physical fitness. Adjustment for subjective life expectancy explains the part of the negative association between age and the sense of control that remains after adjustment for education and physical impairment. Adjusting the three factors together explains 93.1 percent of the total association between age and the sense of control, and renders the remaining association insignificant.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
J. Cairney and N. Krause
Negative Life Events and Age-Related Decline in Mastery: Are Older Adults More Vulnerable to the Control-Eroding Effect of Stress?
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2008; 63(3): S162 - S170.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
S. Wurm, C. Tesch-Romer, and M. J. Tomasik
Longitudinal Findings on Aging-Related Cognitions, Control Beliefs, and Health in Later Life
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2007; 62(3): P156 - P164.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
N. Krause
Age and Decline in Role-Specific Feelings of Control
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., January 1, 2007; 62(1): S28 - S35.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
J. P. Ziegelmann, S. Lippke, and R. Schwarzer
Subjective residual life expectancy in health self-regulation.
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2006; 61(4): P195 - P201.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
F. D. Wolinsky, K. W. Wyrwich, A. N. Babu, K. Kroenke, and W. M. Tierney
Age, Aging, and the Sense of Control Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Reconsideration
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2003; 58(4): S212 - 220.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMENHome page
S. J. Cutler and L. G. Hodgson
To test or not to test: Interest in genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease among middle-aged adults
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, January 1, 2003; 18(1): 9 - 20.
[Abstract] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America.