Accommodative Self-Regulation: The Sample Case of Imprisonment in Young Adulthood

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined the role of self-esteem stabilization processes in response to restrictive developmental conditions in early adulthood. It did so by investigating accommodative adjustments among incarcerated young adults. It was argued that an adjustment of how an individual desires to be to how they actually perceive themselves (i.e., accommodative adjustment) can help to maintain a more stable self-esteem and buffers negative changes.

METHOD

Within a longitudinal design with three measurements occasions data of N = 728 incarcerated men between the age of 14 and 24 were analyzed. Accommodative adjustments were assessed at two occasions as adaptations of the ideal self-concept ("I would like to be…") to the previous actual self-concept ("I am…"). In addition, assimilative adjustments were operationalized as adaptations of the actual self-concept to the previous ideal self-concept, that means changing what an individual thinks of themselves in accordance to how they desire to be.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed that accommodative adjustments predicted self-esteem. Moreover, accommodative processes were particularly important when assimilative processes were less pronounced.

CONCLUSION

Especially at the beginning of the incarceration period, accommodative adjustments of the self-concept buffer damaging effects of incarceration and support the (re-)stabilization of self-esteem.

Self-Concept Clarity and the Bodily Self: Malleability Across Modalities

The self has fascinated scholars for centuries. Although theory suggests that the self-concept (cognitive self-understanding) and bodily self (pre-reflective awareness of one’s body) are related, little work has examined this notion. To this end, in Study 1, participants reported on self-concept clarity (SCC) and completed the rubber hand illusion (RHI), a paradigm in which synchronous (vs. asynchronous) stimulation between a prosthetic hand and one’s own hand leads one to “embody” the prosthetic hand. Whereas participants were equally susceptible to the RHI during synchronous stroking, low-SCC individuals were more vulnerable to the illusion during asynchronous stroking, when the effect is unwarranted. Conceptually replicating and extending this finding, in Study 2, low-SCC individuals were more susceptible to the body-swap illusion—the impression that another person’s body is one’s own. These findings suggest that a clear sense of self implies clarity and stability of both the self-concept and the bodily self.

The role of centrality to self-concept in moderating the associations between injury perceptions and outcomes

OBJECTIVES

To test the centrality of injury to self-concept as a moderator of the associations between injury perceptions and outcomes.

METHODS

Two concurrent studies on samples of injured individuals.

MEASURES

The centrality of injury to one's self concept was measured by the degree of self-injury separation (PRISM); injury perceptions were measured by the injury perception questionnaire; and outcomes by standard scales of self-assessed health, physical, emotional and social functioning, vitality, depression, anxiety and somatisation. Regression analyses examined the significance of adding the interactions between injury centrality and injury perceptions to explained outcome variance, beyond their separate contributions.

RESULTS

Both injury centrality and injury perceptions significantly explained variance in patients' functioning and well-being. Injury centrality moderated the associations between various injury perceptions and outcomes, especially pronounced for emotional representations of the injury. As hypothesised, the effects of injury perceptions on outcomes were stronger among patients for whom the injury was central to their self-concept compared to patients who perceived the injury as peripheral to their self-concept.

CONCLUSIONS

'Centrality to the self' is a moderator of the impact of perceptions on outcomes of injuries. The findings suggest ways to tailor interventions to sub-groups of injured patients based on injury centrality to their self-concept.

Identity processes as a predictor of memory beliefs in older adults

OBJECTIVES

The impact of identity processes (identity assimilation, identity accommodation, and identity balance) on memory beliefs was explored.

METHOD

Individually administered questionnaires (e.g. depressive symptoms, subjective health, identity processes, memory beliefs) and a brief neuropsychological assessment of cognitive abilities were completed during a one-time interview with 82 participants aged 58-92 years-old (M = 74.68, SD = 10.95). Forty (49.4%) identified their race as White/Caucasian, 38 (46.9%) identified their race as Black/African American, and 3 (3.7%) indicated no primary racial/ethnic group.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that identity processes account for differences in memory beliefs beyond established predictors. Specifically, identity accommodation and identity balance predicted memory self-efficacy beyond depression and subjective health. These findings are congruent with identity process theory; however, the impact of identity assimilation in this population was unremarkable. Exploratory analyses also indicated that the identity processes have a stronger relationship to some domains of memory self-efficacy (i.e. anxiety, capacity) than others (i.e. perceived change, locus of control).

CONCLUSION

Beliefs about memory and their integration into an adaptable, yet consistent self-concept are an important element of identity for aging individuals. Additional research is needed to determine the unique role of identity accommodation and identity balance in understanding cognitive functioning and ultimately the impact on potential clinical applications, such as related health-seeking behavior among older adults. Tailored interventions could be developed to facilitate optimal utilization of health care services at a time when early diagnosis of memory-related disorders is critical for future planning and care decisions.

Competence Valuation as a Strategic Intrinsic Motivation Process

This research investigated the strategic use of competence valuation in achievement settings and examined the consequences of implementing this self-enhancement strategy for intrinsic motivation. In two studies, participants reported higher competence valuation following positive feedback; in turn, competence valuation was positively related to intrinsic motivation. Competence valuation mediated the direct relationship between feedback and intrinsic motivation, and this mediation was independent of perceived competence, which also served a mediational function. Study 2 identified the specific nature of the observed effects. Participants receiving positive feedback reported higher competence valuation (and perceived competence), which led to enhanced intrinsic motivation; the reciprocal processes were not operative for those receiving negative feedback.

Relationships among social support, self-concept, and wellbeing of older adults: A study of process using dynamic factor models

Intra-individual patterns of time-lagged relationships among self-reports of social support, self-concept, and physical and psychological wellbeing were investigated. Participants were older adults (mean age = 77 years) who were measured weekly on some scales and biweekly on others, covering a total of 25 weeks. Dynamic factor models were fitted to multivariate repeated measures data pooled over subsets of participants. The results indicate significant time-lagged, cross-factor relationships showing that negative social support has both a direct effect and an indirect effect, through less positive self-concept, on physical health measures. For the measures of negative social support, self-concept, subjective health, and physical performance (gait), there are substantial autoregressive effects indicating persisting factor scores over 1 or 2 weeks. How intra-individual perspectives and methods can facilitate the study of complex developmental processes is discussed.

Age stereotypes and self-views in later life: Evaluating rival assumptions

Concerning the relation between age stereotypes and self-views in older people, three general assumptions can be distinguished: (1) age stereotypes contaminate the self-views of older people (“contamination hypothesis”), (2) age stereotypes serve as a reference standard for self-enhancing comparisons (“comparison hypothesis”), (3) individually held age stereotypes are a projection of elderly persons’ self-views (“externalisation hypothesis”). These hypotheses were evaluated in a cross-sequential study assessing self-ratings and ratings of the “typical old person” over a longitudinal interval of 8 years in a sample of 690 participants (initial age range 54–77 years). Conforming to the contamination hypothesis (but contrary to the comparison hypothesis), stereotyped expectations about elderly people predicted later self-appraisals. Conforming with the externalisation hypothesis, self-views had an influence on individually held age stereotypes. Findings also highlight the importance of differential factors: A disposition to flexibly disengage from blocked goals shields self-views from self-deprecating influences of negative age stereotypes in old age.

The Resilience of Self-Esteem in Late Adulthood

Objectives: The authors examined the resilience of self-esteem after loss in the lives of older adults. Specifically, the authors investigated the relationship between loss and change in self-esteem during a 3-year period.Method: A subsample of older adults ( n = 1,278) from the Americans’ Changing Lives Study was used to examine loss in the domains of health, financial security, or work and career and self-esteem before and after the loss.Results: There was a small but significant decrease in self-esteem between Wave I and Wave II of the study. Loss in one of the domains explained less than 1% of the variance in self-esteem change.Discussion: The low incidence of loss and small change in high levels of self-esteem are further evidence of resilience in older adults’ psychological well-being. The implications for older adults’ use of cognitive strategies to manage losses and promote gains are discussed.

The Epistemic-Teleologic Model of Deliberate Self-Persuasion

Although past theory and research point to the importance of understanding deliberate self-persuasion (i.e., deliberate self-induced attitude change), there have been no empirical and theoretical efforts to model this process. This article proposes a new model to help understand the process, while comparing the process of deliberate self-persuasion with relevant theory and research. The core feature of this model is a distinction between epistemic processes, which involve attempting to form new valid attitudes, and teleologic processes, which involve self-induced attitude change but with minimal concerns for validity. The epistemic processes employ tactics of reinterpretation, reattribution, reintegration, retesting, changing comparators, and changing dimensions of comparison. The teleologic processes include suppression, preemption, distraction, and concentration. By mapping these processes, this model helps to generate many novel and testable hypotheses about the use of deliberate self-persuasion to cope with ambivalent attitudes.

Contemplating Workplace Change

Drawing on topical life histories of physicians in a particularly volatile public health sector environment, we build theory around the contemplation of workplace change. Overall, our study provides evidence as to why single or multiple independent factors, such as pay or job structure, may fail to predict or explain individual decisions to stay in or change workplaces. Instead, the contemplation process we argue is a complex, evolutionary, and context-dependent one that requires individualized interventions. Our findings reveal the prevalence of episodic context-self fit assessments prompted by triggering stimuli, two mechanisms by which thought processes evolved (reinforcement and recalibration), and four characteristic story lines that explain why the thought processes manifested as they did (exploring opportunities, solving problems, reconciling incongruence, and escaping situations). Based on our findings, we encourage practitioners to regularly engage in story-listening and dialogic conversations to better understand, and potentially affect the evolving socially constructed realities of staff members.

Psychological well-being revisited: advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia

This article reviews research and interventions that have grown up around a model of psychological well-being generated more than two decades ago to address neglected aspects of positive functioning such as purposeful engagement in life, realization of personal talents and capacities, and enlightened self-knowledge. The conceptual origins of this formulation are revisited and scientific products emerging from 6 thematic areas are examined: (1) how well-being changes across adult development and later life; (2) what are the personality correlates of well-being; (3) how well-being is linked with experiences in family life; (4) how well-being relates to work and other community activities; (5) what are the connections between well-being and health, including biological risk factors, and (6) via clinical and intervention studies, how psychological well-being can be promoted for ever-greater segments of society. Together, these topics illustrate flourishing interest across diverse scientific disciplines in understanding adults as striving, meaning-making, proactive organisms who are actively negotiating the challenges of life. A take-home message is that increasing evidence supports the health protective features of psychological well-being in reducing risk for disease and promoting length of life. A recurrent and increasingly important theme is resilience - the capacity to maintain or regain well-being in the face of adversity. Implications for future research and practice are considered.

Marking time: selective use of temporal landmarks as barriers between current and future selves

Temporal landmarks such as birthdays and significant calendar dates structure our perception of time. People might highlight temporal landmarks spontaneously in an effort to regulate connections between temporal selves. Five studies demonstrated that landmarks are used spontaneously to induce psychological separation from undesirable temporal selves. Participants were more likely to think of events that fell in between the current and the future self if an imagined future self was negative than if it was positive (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2). Furthermore, when a self-enhancement mindset was activated, participants were more likely to call to mind intervening temporal landmarks to protect themselves from a negative future self than when this mindset was not activated (Study 3). Finally, when psychological separations between the current self and a negative future self were introduced through alternate means, participants no longer selectively used landmarks to separate themselves from this future self (Study 4).

Assessing change in a personality profile

We tested the validity of 6 methods (mean difference, variance difference, bivariate, profile agreement, pattern similarity, and intraclass) to assess change in a personality profile. During their first 2 months of college, 372 students completed reactive and spontaneous measures of their personality. Eight weeks later, 300 returned to complete a second set of the same measures and noted change in their spontaneous personality list. Sixty participants returned during their second semester to complete a third set of assessments. The bivariate and intraclass change coefficients showed consistent convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity across time points. Recommendations and caveats for using these coefficients are discussed.

A randomized clinical trial of an identity intervention programme for women with eating disorders

OBJECTIVE

Findings of a randomized trial of an identity intervention programme (IIP) designed to build new positive self-schemas that are separate from other conceptions of the self in memory as the means to promote improved health in women diagnosed with eating disorders are reported.

METHOD

After baseline data collection, women with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa were randomly assigned to IIP (n = 34) or supportive psychotherapy (SPI) (n = 35) and followed at 1, 6, and 12 months post-intervention.

RESULTS

The IIP and supportive psychotherapy were equally effective in reducing eating disorder symptoms at 1 month post-intervention, and changes were stable through the 12-month follow-up period. The IIP tended to be more effective in fostering development of positive self-schemas, and the increase was stable over time. Regardless of baseline level, an increase in the number of positive self-schemas between pre-intervention and 1-month post-intervention predicted a decrease in desire for thinness and an increase in psychological well-being and functional health over the same period.

DISCUSSION

A cognitive behavioural intervention that focuses on increasing the number of positive self-schemas may be central to improving emotional health in women with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Women's health-enhancing physical activity and eudaimonic well being

In this study, we explored the role of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA; Miilunpalo, 2001) in women's eudaimonic well being (i.e., psychological flourishing at one's maximal potential; Ryff 1989). We used a quantitative approach (N= 349) to explore the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well being. While HEPA was not related to eudaimonic well being, experiencing eudaimonia through HEPA contributed unique variance in eudaimonic well being beyond HEPA and experiencing hedonia through HEPA. As quality of activity was more important than quantity, a qualitative component (N = 10) provided further insight on if and how HEPA contributes to women's eudaimonic well being. Participants supported HEPA in fulfilling their potential through goal setting/striving providing bonding experiences, allowing for self-reflection, and developing a physical/able body.

Evaluative Organization of the Self-Concept in Younger, Midlife, and Older Adults

Showers’s model of evaluative organization is a fruitful way to conceptualize the self-concept and is related to self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and emotion regulation. In this study, the authors developed and piloted a card-sort measure to compare the evaluative organization of the self-concept in healthy older, midlife, and younger adults (approximately two thirds of participants were women). The results support the primary hypothesis that older adults would exhibit greater compartmentalization of the self-concept than younger and middle-aged persons. Older adults may think about their positive and negative self-aspects in a more differentiated fashion (i.e., categorize positive and negative self-aspects into separate roles) than younger and midlife persons, who are more integrative (i.e., categorize positive and negative self-aspects under the same role heading) in their self-concepts. The results are consistent with cognitive priming, memory, and emotion regulation studies, which suggest that the way persons organize information about themselves may be different in younger, midlife, and older adults.

The Role of the Self in Smoking Initiation and Smoking Cessation: A Review and Blueprint for Research at the Intersection of Social-Cognition and Health

The self-concept is recognized as important to both smoking initiation and cessation. However, most of extant research has viewed the self-concept as a static, monolithic construct. It has not drawn on contemporary social-cognitive theories of the self-concept, which view the self-concept as a dynamic, multi-faceted cognitive structure that regulates behavior in context. This paper discusses a contemporary social cognitive framework that can be used to understand the role of the self-concept in smoking.

Reactivity to daily stressors in adulthood: the importance of stressor type in characterizing risk factors

This study examined daily stressors in adults ages 18 to 89 years (M = 49.6 years) over 30 days. We examined the role of individual factors (i.e., age, self-concept differentiation [SCD], perceived control) in physical and psychological reactivity to interpersonal, network, home, and health stressors. Findings were consistent with the perspective that adults were less reactive to stress on days during which they felt in control and that younger adults and adults with high SCD were more vulnerable to stress. Age, SCD, and daily perceived control, however, interacted with one another, and findings varied by stressor type. For example, age differences in reactivity were moderated by SCD whereby older adults with low SCD were particularly resilient to home stressors. In addition, whether perceived control buffered adults' reactivity to daily stress varied by age and SCD. For example, only adults with high SCD were psychologically reactive to network stressors and this was the case only on days during which they reported experiencing low control. The findings emphasize the importance of considering the varying ways in which individual characteristics interact to influence stress reactivity to different types of stressors.

Quality of life among Norwegian older adults: focus group results

Fundamental to the nursing profession is understanding what issues are important to quality of life (QoL) for older adults. The aim of this study was to explore issues of importance to older adults and to compare findings with Lawton's theoretical QoL conceptualization. Five focus groups were conducted with healthy and hospitalized adults and health professionals. Many valued aspects of human existence were found to affect QoL, and results lend empirical support to many of the themes appearing under Lawton's four sectors. Results indicate the need for multidimensional assessments of QoL among older adults related to health, psychological, personal competency, social, environmental, and spiritual indicators. Issues related to time use, happiness, cognitive functioning, self-concept, coping with change, social functioning, self-determination, altruistic activity, living conditions, security, and technological aids should also be considered in future assessments of QoL. Research is needed to explore the relevancy of these issues in future assessments of QoL among older adults.

The Psychology of Residential Mobility: Implications for the Self, Social Relationships, and Well-Being

Residential mobility is an increasingly important personal and societal issue in both the United States and the world in general. However, it has received relatively limited attention in psychological theorizing and research. This article demonstrates the importance of residential mobility in understanding the self, social relationships, and well-being. Recent research has shown that residential mobility (number of moves for an individual or percentage having moved recently for a neighborhood) is associated with the primacy of the personal over the collective self. It is also associated with "duty-free" friendships and group memberships rather than obligatory friendships and group memberships. Overall, residential mobility is associated with lower levels of well-being at the individual level of analysis. Finally, residential mobility is associated with personal forms of subjective well-being (based on self-esteem, the verification of the personal self) as opposed to interpersonal forms of subjective well-being (based on social support, the verification of the collective selves). In short, residential mobility is a powerful, parsimonious explanatory construct in the self, social relationships, and subjective well-being and may be a key to understanding the future of mind and behavior in the increasingly mobile world.

Important issues to quality of life among norwegian older adults: an exploratory study

The increasing numbers of older people and higher expectations of a “good life” within societies, has lead to international interest in the enhancement of quality of life (QoL) among older adults. Understanding whether the same aspects of life are equally important to the life quality of subgroups of older people is important in helping health professionals plan social and health care policy and caring strategies. The purpose of this study was to describe the importance given to 38 areas of QoL among Norwegian older adults and to identify differences in importance ratings by age, gender, marital and health status. This exploratory study was conducted with 379 older adults (mean age 73.3 years, SD 6.9) consisting of two cohorts. The first cohort (n = 287) comprised of non-hospitalized participants, were recruited from two national senior organizations, two political senior organizations and a voluntary organization in Eastern Norway. Participants responded to a postal survey. The second cohort (n = 92) comprised of hospitalized and ambulatory patients, were recruited from three medical wards and one outpatient clinic at a county hospital in Eastern Norway. Data was collected by personal interviews and interview assisted. All importance ratings were found to reflect substantial areas of importance. Highest mean importance was assigned to activities of daily living, mobility, sensory abilities, health and home environment. Least important was sex life, adequate social help, chance to learn new skills, body image and appearance and free of dependence on medications and treatment. There were a number of significant mean group differences by age, gender, marital and health status. Sixteen of the items detected significant between- group differences. Future application of the importance questions could facilitate understanding and recognition of important issues in subgroups of older adults.

Contextualized self-representations in adulthood

Theorizing has focused on individuals' self-representations as a psychological resource for coping with life stress and developmental challenges in adulthood. Many of the prominent theories have conceptualized self-representations with regard to specific social contexts (e.g., role-specific self-representations) and have examined specific structural organizations of the self-concept with regard to psychological adjustment. This article describes research on the associations between self-concept structures and psychological well-being in adulthood. Specific emphasis is given to the feature of self-concept differentiation (SCD). Most research suggests that a high level of SCD tends to indicate self-fragmentation and tends to be associated with poorer adjustment and psychological well-being. Findings from a daily diary study with adults of all ages are reported showing that different levels of SCD were in a consistent and meaningful way related to the daily endorsement of positive and negative self-attributes. Daily self-representations, in turn, were significantly related to individuals' level of daily negative affect and to intra-individual variation in negative affect. These findings suggest that SCD may exert its effect on adjustment and psychological well-being through specific ways of processing self-related information.

Interactive effects of traits on adjustment to a life transition

A longitudinal design was used to test theoretically derived interactive effects of traits on adjustment to relocation 1, 8, and 15 months after relocation of elderly women. Openness interacted with Neuroticism and with Extraversion in affecting changes in distress after relocation by amplifying the basic emotional tendencies of Neuroticism and Extraversion. These were delayed effects, occurring only 15 months after relocation. Openness also interacted with Neuroticism in predicting changes in psychological well-being with the effects occurring primarily early in postmove adjustment. In addition, Extraversion interacted with Conscientiousness and with Agreeableness in predicting changes in distress, such that the beneficial effects of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were evident only for individuals low on Extraversion. These effects were consistent across time, showing long-term effects. Overall, the findings demonstrate the multiplicity of ways in which trait interactions predict dynamic adjustment to a life transition.

Socioeconomic status predicts objective and subjective sleep quality in aging women

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would be associated with sleep quality measured objectively, even after controlling for related covariates (health status, psychosocial characteristics). Epidemiological studies linking SES and sleep quality have traditionally relied on self-reported assessments of sleep.

METHODS

Ninety-four women, 61 to 90 years of age, participated in this study. SES was determined by pretax household income and years of education. Objective and subjective assessments of sleep quality were obtained using the NightCap sleep system and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Health status was determined by subjective health ratings and objective measures of recent and chronic illnesses. Depressive symptoms and neuroticism were quantified using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory, respectively.

RESULTS

Household income significantly predicted sleep latency and sleep efficiency even after adjusting for demographic factors, health status, and psychosocial characteristics. Income also predicted PSQI scores, although this association was significantly attenuated by inclusion of neuroticism in multivariate analyses. Education predicted both sleep latency and sleep efficiency, but the latter association was partially reduced after health status and psychosocial measures were included in analyses. Education predicted PSQI sleep efficiency component scores, but not global scores.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that SES is robustly linked to both subjective and objective sleep quality, and that health status and psychosocial characteristics partially explain these associations.

Maintaining Self-Rated Health Through Social Comparison in Old Age

When self-related health (SRH) is under threat, people may use self-enhancement through social comparison to buffer against the threat. Because SRH is under greater threat among older than among younger adults, the benefit of social comparison on SRH may be greater for them. To test this, Study 1 examined ratings on physical attributes for self and "someone of the same age" among 592 Hong Kong Chinese, across young, middle, and old age. Findings suggested that perceiving one's physical self as better than others produced a larger gain in self-rated health in older than in younger people. Study 2 showed longitudinally that, among older adults, an increase in physical symptoms over time was associated with a worsening SRH, which was then positively associated with physical self-enhancement. This improved physical self in turn partially recovered the damage to SRH.

Residential mobility, self-concept, and positive affect in social interactions

The present research examined (a) the link between personal history of residential mobility and the self-concept and (b) the implications of such a link for positive affect in social interactions. Study 1 showed that the personal self was more central to the self-definition of frequent movers than to that of nonmovers, whereas the collective self was more central to the self-definition of nonmovers than to that of frequent movers. Results from a laboratory and a 2-week event sampling study (Studies 2 and 3) demonstrated that frequent movers felt happier when an interaction partner accurately perceived their personal selves, whereas nonmovers felt happier when a partner accurately perceived their collective selves. These findings present the first direct evidence on how personal history of residential mobility is linked to important individual differences in the self and positive affect in social interactions.

The role of religious identity in the mental health of older working and retired adults

This study investigates whether religious identity explains unique variance of the self esteem and depressive symptoms of older working and retired adults. Data were collected from a larger, five-year project begun in 1992 that compared the well-being of older workers and with that of new retirees living in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina metropolitan area. Data are from the third and final wave, collected between March and June, 1997, during which 242 of the eligible 255 people participated. Net of religious attendance, religiosity, and various control variables, religious identity predicted both mental health outcomes. As predicted, self esteem increased and depressive symptoms decreased as religious identity increased (i.e., viewing oneself as more competent, confident, and sociable as a religious person). Though there was a trend towards religious identity being more strongly predictive of mental health among retirees than among the working adults, these interactions did not reach statistical significance.

Temporal Stability and Authenticity of Self-Representations in Adulthood

The temporal stability of role-specific self-representations was examined in a sample of 188 young, middle-aged, and older adults. Considerable stability was observed for all self-representations. Central self-descriptors showed significantly greater temporal stability than peripheral self-descriptors. Temporal stability of self-representations was positively associated with self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect (PA). Age differences were obtained for three of the five self-representations, with older adults showing significantly lower stabilities for self with family, self with friend, and self with significant other compared to young and middle-aged adults. Assessment of the authenticity of adults' role-specific self-representations showed that greater authenticity tended to be associated with greater temporal stability. Authenticity and the number of positive daily events were significant positive predictors of the stability of self-representations.

Social relationships, sleep quality, and interleukin-6 in aging women

This study examined the interplay of social engagement, sleep quality, and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a sample of aging women (n = 74, aged 61-90, M age = 73.4). Social engagement was assessed by questionnaire, sleep was assessed by using the NightCap in-home sleep monitoring system and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and blood samples were obtained for analysis of plasma levels of IL-6. Regarding subjective assessment, poorer sleep (higher scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) was associated with lower positive social relations scores. Multivariate regression analyses showed that lower levels of plasma IL-6 were predicted by greater sleep efficiency (P < 0.001), measured objectively and by more positive social relations (P < 0.05). A significant interaction showed that women with the highest IL-6 levels were those with both poor sleep efficiency and poor social relations (P < 0.05). However, those with low sleep efficiency but compensating good relationships as well as women with poor relationships but compensating high sleep efficiency had IL-6 levels comparable to those with the protective influences of both good social ties and good sleep.

Crystallization of Desire and Crystallization of Discontent in Narratives of Life-Changing Decisions

Two studies of adults examined personal narratives of life-changing decisions in relation to personality and well-being. Participants whose decision narratives emphasized a crystallization of desire (i.e., approaching a desired future) rather than a crystallization of discontent (i.e., escaping an undesired past; Baumeister, 1991, 1994) reported higher well-being, fewer avoidance strivings, lower Neuroticism (in Study 1 only), and better decision outcomes (in Study 2). However, neither strivings, traits, nor outcomes accounted for the relationship between crystallization of desire and well-being. The discussion considers the roles of life-changing decisions and personal narratives in research on personality, well-being, and positive personal development.

The role of self-enhancing evaluations in a successful life transition

The objective of the study was to investigate how self-enhancing evaluations, obtained via positive social comparisons and reflected appraisals, were related to mental health in a later life transition. The sample consisted of 266 women who were interviewed once before and 3 times after the experience of community relocation. Results extended prior findings suggesting the dynamic impact of self-enhancing evaluative processes on psychological well-being and depressive symptoms. Additional analyses showed evidence for reverse causality, that is, that mental health also influenced self-evaluative processes. This study underscores the significance of holding a positive view of self vis-à-vis others in negotiating life challenges as well as the reciprocal influence of well-being on social self-evaluative processes.

Exploring the Influence of Personality on Depressive Symptoms and Self-Esteem Across a Significant Life Transition

This study investigates the influence of personality on adjustment to a particular life transition, community relocation. Participants were 285 women (average age=69.5) who were interviewed once before they moved, and then multiple times after the move. Within the context of this multiwave design, personality traits were used to predict changes in depressive symptoms (DS) and self-esteem (SE) across the move. Neuroticism and Openness to Experience predicted increases in DS over time, whereas Extraversion and Openness predicted increases in SE. Stressful reactions to the move and sense of mastery about the move partially mediated these effects. The study documents the dynamic influence of personality on positive and negative aspects of adjustment and investigates differing routes through which such effects occur.

Self-concept differentiation across the adult life span

This study used 2 measures to examine 158 adults' (80 men, 78 women; ages 20 to 88 years) self-concept differentiation (SCD) across 5 role-specific self-representations. Findings revealed that the 2 measures did not assess SCD in similar ways and that they showed different associations with age. Specifically, the 1st measure was not significantly related to age, whereas the 2nd measure showed a curvilinear, U-shaped association with age. The 2nd SCD index also showed significant associations with several measures of emotional adjustment and 6 dimensions of psychological well-being. Additional analyses showed that age moderated the associations between SCD and positive and negative psychological well-being. A high level of SCD was associated with lower positive and higher negative psychological well-being for both young and older adults. However, this effect was significantly more pronounced in older adults.

A influência da atividade física regular sobre o autoconceito

Foi objetivo desta pesquisa estudar a influência da atividade física regular de homens e mulheres de mais de 40 anos sobre o seu autoconceito. A Escala Fatorial de Autoconceito foi administrada a 200 sujeitos, metade deles praticando algum tipo de atividade física regular no momento da pesquisa e a outra metade sendo sedentários. A Anova 2X2 revelou efeito principal da atividade física regular e do gênero sobre vários fatores do autoconceito. Os escores foram superiores em autoconfiança, autocontrole e self somático para o grupo experimental e no self ético-moral para as mulheres. Conclui-se que a atividade física regular tem impacto benéfico sobre o autoconceito.

The dynamics of caregiving: transitions during a three-year prospective study

This prospective study (n = 476) examined 3 types of caregiving transitions experienced by wives and daughters of older persons: entry, institutionalization, and bereavement. Daughters were more likely to enter the caregiving role than wives, but the impact of entering the role was more pronounced for wives. After becoming a caregiver, wives decreased in their participation in leisure activities, perceptions of quality of family relations, and marital satisfaction. Daughter caregivers were more likely than wives to place their care recipient in an institution, and they increased in social participation and decreased in subjective burden after placement. Roughly the same percentage of wife and daughter caregivers were bereaved during the study period, and for wives bereavement was accompanied by an increase in social involvement and personal growth. The results underscore the highly dynamic nature of the caregiving career and the importance of the kinship relationship between caregiver and care recipient in conditioning the effects of caregiving transitions.