 Life review involves looking back at one’s life

experiences, evaluating them, interpreting

them,and often reinterpreting them (Ros & others,
2016; Thorgrimsdottir & Bjornsdottir, 2016).
 A leading expert on aging, Robert Butler,
provided this perspective on life review:
“. . . there are chances for pain, anger, guilt, and
grief, but there are also opportunities for resolution
and celebration, for affirmation and hope, for
reconciliation and personal growth” (Butler, 2007,
p. 72).
 Activity theory The theory that the more active
and involved older adults are, the more likely
they are to be satisfied with their lives.
 Activity theory suggests that many individuals
will achieve greater life satisfaction if they
continue their middle-adulthood roles into late
adulthood. If these roles are stripped from them
(as in early retirement), it is important for them to
find substitute roles that keep them active and
involved.
 Socioemotional selectivity theory
states that adults become more
selective about their social networks
as they grow older. Because they
place a high value on emotional
satisfaction, older adults spend more
time with familiar individuals with
whom they have had rewarding
relationships.
 Selective optimization with compensation theory states
that successful aging depends on three main factors:
selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC).
 Selection is based on the concept that older adults
have a reduced capacity and loss of functioning, which
require a reduction in performance in most life domains.
 Optimization suggests that it is possible to maintain
performance in some areas through continued practice
and the use of new technologies.
 Compensation becomes relevant when life tasks
require a level of capacity beyond the current level of
the older adult’s performance potential.
 The Big Five factors of personality are openness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and
neuroticism.
 The transition into late adulthood was characterized by
increases in these aspects of conscientiousness: impulse
control, reliability, and conventionality (Jackson &
others, 2009).ableness, and neuroticism.
 Perceived social support predicted increased
conscientiousness in older adults (Hill & others, 2014).
 More severe depression in older adults was associated with higher
neuroticism and lower extraversion and conscientiousness
(Koorevaar & others, 2013).
 Elevated neuroticism, lower conscientiousness, and lower openness
were related to an increased risk of older adults’ developing
Alzheimer disease across a period of six years (Duberstein & others,
2011).
 A meta-analysis of longitudinal prospective studies indicated that a
higher level of conscientiousness reduced the risk of developing
Alzheimer disease (Terraccianno & others, 2014).
 Affect and outlook on life are also linked to mortality in older adults
(Carstensen, 2014,2015; Carstensen & others, 2015).
 Older adults characterized by negative affect don’t live as long as
those who display more positive affect, and optimistic older adults
who have a positive outlook on life live longer than their counterparts
who are more pessimistic and have a negative outlook on life
(Mosing & others, 2012; Reed & Carstensen, 2015).
Our exploration of the self focuses on changes in self-esteem,
possible selves, self-acceptance,and self-control.

How does self-esteem change during the adult years?

 Possible selves are what individuals might become,
what they would like to become, and what they are
afraid of becoming (Bolkan & Hooker, 2012; Markus &
Nurius, 1987). Acceptance of ideal and future selves
decreases and acceptance of past selves increases in
older adults (Ryff, 1991).
 Self-Control Although older adults are aware of age-
related losses, most still effectively maintain a sense of
self-control. Recent research indicates that self-control
plays an important role in older adults’ quality of life,
including lower levels of depression and obesity
(Levasseur & Couture, 2015; Privitera & others, 2015).
 Stereotyping Older Adults Social participation by older
adults is often discouraged by ageism, which is
prejudice against others because of their age,
especially prejudice against older adults (Allen, 2016;
Lawler & others, 2014; Sims, 2016).
 Older adults are often perceived as incapable of
thinking clearly, learning new things, enjoying sex,
contributing to the community, or holding responsible
jobs. Many older adults face painful discrimination and
might be too polite or timid to attack it. Because of their
age, older adults might not be hired for newjobs or
might be eased out of old ones; they might be shunned
socially; and they might be edged out of their family
life.
 The aging society and older persons’ status in this society raise
policy issues related to the well-being of older adults (George &
Farrell, 2016; Moon, 2016; Quesnel-Vallée, Willson, & Reiter-
Campeau, 2016).
 These issues include the status of the economy, the provision of
health care, supports for families who care for older adults, and
generational inequity, each of which we consider in turn.
 Eldercare Physical and emotional caretaking for older members
of the family, whether by giving day-to-day physical assistance or
by being responsible for overseeing such care.
 Gnerational inequity The view that our aging society is being
unfair to its younger members because older adults pile up
advantages by receiving inequitably large allocations of
resources.
 Lifestyle Diversity- Older adult men are more likely to be married than
older adult women. Retirement alters a couple’s lifestyle and requires
adaptation. Married older adults are often happier than single older adults.
There are social, financial, and physical consequences of divorce for older
adults. More divorced older adults, increased longevity, and better health
have led to an increase in remarriage by older adults. Some older adults
perceive negative pressure about their decision to remarry after becoming
widowed or divorced, although the majority of adult children support the
decision of their older adult parents to remarry. An increasing number of
older adults cohabit.
 Attachment - Older adults have fewer attachment relationships than
younger adults; attachment anxiety decreases with increasing age;
attachment security is linked to psychological and physical well-being in
older adults; and insecure attachment is associated with a greater
perceived negative caregiving burden in caring for people with Alzheimer
disease
 Great-Grandparenting- Because of increased longevity, more
grandparents today are also great-grandparents. One contribution of
great-grandparents is knowledge of family history. One research study
found that young adults have a more involved relationship with
grandparents than with great-grandparents.
 Social Support and Social Integration- Social support is
linked with improved physical and mental health in older adults.
Older adults who participate in more organizations live longer than
their counterparts who have low participation rates. Older adults
often have fewer peripheral social ties but a strong motivation to
spend time in relationships with close friends and family members
that are emotionally rewarding.
 Friendship- There is more continuity than change in friendship for
older adults.
 Older Adult Parents and Their Adult Children- Approximately 80
percent of older adults have living children, many of whom are
middleaged. Increasingly, diversity characterizes the relationships of older
parents and their adult children. Adult daughters are more likely than
adult sons to be involved in the lives of aging parents. An important task
that adult children can perform is to coordinate and monitor services for
an aging parent who becomes disabled. Ambivalence can characterize
the relationships of adult children with their aging parents.
 Altruism and Volunteering- Altruism is linked to having a longer life.
Volunteering is associated with higher life satisfaction, less depression and
anxiety, better physical health, and more positive emotions.
 Ethnicity- Aging minorities cope with the double burden of ageism
and racism. Nonetheless, there is considerable variation in the lives
of aging minorities.
 Gender- There is stronger evidence that men become more
feminine (nurturant, sensitive) as older adults than there is that
women become more masculine (assertive). Older women face a
double jeopardy of ageism and sexism.
 Culture- Historically, respect for older adults in China and Japan
was high, but today their status is more variable. Factors that
predict high status for the elderly across cultures range from their
valuable knowledge to integration into the extended family.
 Successful Aging- Three patterns of aging are normal,
pathological, and successful. Increasingly, the positive aspects of
older adulthood are being studied. Factors that are linked with
successful aging include an active lifestyle, positive coping skills,
good social relationships and support, and the absence of disease.