Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
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Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 54, Issue 1 P55-P67, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Content and function of the self-definition in old and very old age

AM Freund and J Smith
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany. [email protected]

Spontaneous self-definition was investigated in a heterogeneous sample of N = 516 participants of the Berlin Aging Study, aged between 70 and 103 years. The content of the self-definition revealed that old and very old persons view themselves as active and present-oriented. The self-definition also reflected an inward orientation, and central themes of life-review, health, and family. Participants generated more positive than negative evaluations in their self-definition, but the ratio of positive to negative evaluations was less favorable for the oldest old (> or = 85 years) than that of persons aged 70 to 84 years. Older individuals with more health-related constraints reported fewer and less rich self-defining domains (i.e., a less multifaceted self- definition). Positive emotional well-being was associated with naming more and richer self-defining domains. Multifacetness, however, did not buffer against the negative effect of low functional capacity on subjective well-being.


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J. Smith and A. M. Freund
The Dynamics of Possible Selves in Old Age
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., November 1, 2002; 57(6): P492 - 500.
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