127 research outputs found
Zingeving en ouder worden
No full textNu mensen steeds ouder worden, dient zich de vraag naar een zinvolle invulling van de latere levensfase steeds vaker aan. In dit artikel geef ik een overzicht van theorieën, onderzoek en interventies op het gebied van zingeving op latere leeftijd. De zin die ouderen zelf aan hun leven geven staat hierbij centraal
During my life so much has changed that it looks like a new world to me: A narrative perspective on identity formation in times of cultural change
Full text linkOlder individuals have witnessed a vast amount of cultural change during their lives. They are therefore living in a culture which differs radically from the one in which they grew up. Building on basic psychological processes of acculturation in migrants, this article develops a narrative theory on the dynamics of identity development in times of cultural change. Twenty-four individuals between 64 and 75 years, belonging to the “silent” generation and currently in their third age, were interviewed about cultural change. Content analysis of the narratives showed four themes: general remarks about cultural changes, expanding material opportunities, liberation of relationships, and increasing freedom of choice. Identifications with the past and with the present were found for each of these themes. Three ways of construing retirement, as extra time, enjoyment or liberation, were related to the identifications with past and present. The findings point out fundamental processes of identity development in a changing cultural contex
Levenskunst in de medische psychologie: Navigatie als metafoor in de therapeutische behandeling
No full textHoewel lijden altijd in meer of mindere mate een rol speelt bij fysieke en mentale problemen, wordt er de laatste jaren tevens aandacht besteed aan de rol en beïnvloedbaarheid van positief menselijk functioneren in de context van moeilijke omstandigheden (‘positieve psychologie’). Te denken valt aan bekwaamheid, veerkracht, ervaren van welbevinden, de rol van waarden en zingeving. Deze aspecten kunnen aangewakkerd worden in een psychologische behandeling en ‘levenskunst’ bevorderen, ofwel enerzijds het vermogen de balans te bewaken tussen de invloed van moeilijkheden en ongeluk, en anderzijds oog te houden voor wat er goed is of beter gaat. In dit artikel wordt een methode beschreven om aan deze balans te werken, met gebruikmaking van de metafoor van navigeren, waarin drie processen gaande zijn die ook van toepassing zijn op ons leven: plaatsbepaling, koersbepaling en koersregulatie. Dit wordt toegelicht aan de hand van een casus
When I grow up: Examing projected gains, maintenance and losses in aging adults
Full text linkThere has not been much research on the future perspective of aging adults. We therefore used six open-ended sentence completion stems, derived from the SELE questionnaire (Dittmann-Kohli, 1995; Dittman-Kohli & Westerhof, 1999), to examine respondents’ projections of possible gains, maintenance, and losses regarding aging and the future. A gain was defined as an event or circumstance the participant characterized as an improvement, a loss defined as deterioration, and maintenance defined as a continuation of the status quo. Respondents were 133 adults (54 male) with ages ranging from 40 to 84 years of age (M = 60.2). With 133 respondents and 6 stems, 798 responses were coded for future perspective. Three-hundred thirty-three responses were coded as a gain (i.e., In the next few years... “I will spend more time on me”), 104 indicated maintenance (i.e., Later when I’m older... “life will be just as enjoyable”), 227 were coded as anticipated losses (I am afraid that I... “will not be there to see my grandchildren grow”), and 134 did not fit into these categories. Further coding separated projections into specific content areas. Examining gains, statements concerning increased enjoyment of life were most common (N = 97, 29.1%). Examining losses, statements of physical decline were most frequent (N = 59, 26.0%). Additionally, other psychological variables were assessed — identity processes, self-esteem, and aging experience. Systematic relations with these variables were found, e.g., self-esteem and projected gains (r = .185, p < .05). This research underscores the benefit of utilizing openended and traditional inventories in tandem
The Complete Mental Health Model: The Social Distribution of Mental Health and Mental Illness in the Dutch Population
No full textChronological and subjective age differences in flourishing mental health and major depressive episode.
Full text linkMental health is more than the absence of psychopathology, but few studies use positive mental health along with a measure of past year major depressive episode (MDE). This study addresses this gap by investigating the association of MDE and flourishing mental health (FMH) with chronological age and subjective (felt and ideal) age. Data are from the Midlife in the United States random digit dialing sample of adults ages 25 to 74, collected in 1995 (n = 3032). Rates of MDE were lowest, and FMH highest, among the three oldest age cohorts (45–54, 55–64, 65–74 years). Subjective age was linked with chronological age; with age, adults tend to feel younger, and want to be an age that is younger, than their actual age. As predicted by the model of subjective age as an adaptive strategy, feeling younger was related to a lower risk of MDE and a higher risk of FMH. However, wanting to be younger was related to a lower risk of FMH and unrelated to MD
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