Personality theories of successful aging - University of Florida ...

Personality Theories of Successful Agirtg 103
milar results rvith cogrpeting
tasks. Bondar,
er adults could be in-
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however, older adults
ntial allocation system
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;ts that there exists cules
and that SOC is reaged,
and older adults.
eas younger adults are
rr adults show a higher
racting losses. Studies
heir resources to those
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aptive developmental
el can be regarded as a
: span development. lt
r to master the general
ranges in goal-relevant
mmodative coping by
r, 1990), also places a
ccessful development.
ATIVE AND
rework to understand
tion and real-location
l accommodative coptiidter
& Greve,7994;
2002; Brandtsteidter &
;elf-regulatory stratecourses
of individual
I (e.g., tenacious goal
adjustment). Specifi-
I efforts to change Iife
ls to personal preferental,
self-corrective,
tentionally changing
rdy appearance to the
justment of personal
es to situational cong,
or disengagement
riration levels, rescal-
ing criteria of success, or even selecting new, feasible goals. Accommodation includes
emotional and cognitive reappraisal; it cannot be initiated intentionally, but
shapes the selection of goals, and thus constitutes a basic mechanism of action regulation
in the face of loss.
The model specifies differential situational conditions that selectively activate
or inhibit the two modes of coping. Assimilative tendencies dominate as long as
people feel able to actively change a given situation. When experiences of loss increase
or assimilative attempts to change the situation are ineffective and actionoutcome
expectancies become low, accommodative tendencies are activated. This
is also the case when assimilative modes are inefficient from the outset. Thus, people
often first employ assimilative coping efforts to actively overcome obstacles
that block their goals. If these attempts are unsuccessful, a gradual shift to accommodative
processes of goal adjustment occurs, which is modulated by personal
and situational factors (e.g., goal importance; Brandtstiidter & Wentura,7995).
According to the model, goal attainment leads to positive affect. Negative emotions
arise when losses of goal-relevant resources lead to unattainability of goals
and one falls short of one's ambitions and personal standards. Discrepancies between
actual states and desired outcomes become especially salient in later phases
of life when irrevocable Iosses and uncontrollable events cumulate. Brandtstddter
and colleagues (Brandtstadter,1,999; Brandtstiidter & Greve, 7994;Brandtstiidter &
Renner, 1990) maintain that in old age this growing impact of negative events on
personal development favors an age-related shift from an active, assimilative to a
more accepting, accommodative coping. As the aim of accommodative coping is to
make the given situation appear less negative and more acceptable, this strategy
may help individuals to maintain positive developmental perspectives into old age.
With declining resources, as is especially the case in old age, it may not be possible
to maintain the highest standard in multiple domains (Brandtstiidter & Wentura,
1995). Accommodative coping therefore becomes particularly effective to protect
against decline in well-being and favors adaptive development in later life (see also
Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995). Thus, the dual-process model of coping characterizes
successful aging primarily as a shift from actively counteracting the onset of agerelated
losses to cognitively restructuring personal goals and standards.
Aoerrrvu Drvrlc-rt'vENr es Srttr-r'INC FRoM Asstl,rtlantvn ro
AccoHavopnrtve CctptNC THRouGHour LIFE
Empirical evidence supports the expectation of age-related differences in the empioyment
of assimilative and accommodative coping strategies. In a self-report
study with younger, middle-aged, and older adults, Brandtstiidter and Renner
(1990) found that self-reported tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment
were complementarily associated with age. There was an age-graded gradual shift
from active, tenacious goal pursuit to accepting, flexible goal adjustment. In addition,
the study demonstrated a buffering effect of flexible goal adjustment with
regard to the impact of perceived deficits on dissatisfaction with personal development.
This finding suggests that flexibly adjusting one's goals helps to maintain a
sense of well-being and satisfaction despite the actual experience of loss'
In a large sample of older adults, Rothermund and Brandtst2idter (2003) found
that accommodative strategies to overcome functional impairments had a curvilinear,
inverted U-shaped relationship to age. The strategies increased up to the