1,721,078 research outputs found
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
Chronological 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
Celebrating fifty years of research and applications in reminiscence and life review: State of the art and new directions
Full text linkFifty years ago, psychiatrist Robert Butler (1963) published an influential article on the recollection and evaluation of personal memories in later life. We discuss the major insights and applications in psychological gerontology that were inspired by Butler. Reminiscence and life review serve to create bonds between people, to cope with important life events, and to attribute meaning to life. We discuss a heuristic framework that relates reminiscence and life review to individual and contextual characteristics as well as to psychological resources and mental health and well-being. The increasing evidence is discussed that different types of interventions can effectively promote mental health and well-being in later life. We propose that processes of reminiscence and life review need further study. This can partly be achieved within the current research tradition by longitudinal studies and good trials that also address the processes accounting for effects of interventions. Synergy with psychological studies on autobiographical remembering and life stories will provide further innovation in the field, as these studies provide new methods and evidence of processes linked to the recollection and evaluation of personal memorie
Technologie en verhalen: Evaluatie van onderzoek en behandeling gericht op herinneringen
No full textLife review as a way to enhance personal growt in midlife: A case study
Full text linkLife review may not only be beneficial for people in the last stages of their lives but for middle-aged people as well. Memories are the building blocks of life stories as imaginative and creative productions that each of us constructs and reconstructs as we move through our adult years. When peoples’ narratives are stagnated and, consequently, their self-development, life review may be helpful in reconstructing meaningful lifestories that enable people to cope with negative life-events and to find new meaning in their lives. In this paper an intervention which aims at enhancing personal growth in midlife by revising one’s life-story is described. Nomothetic research has shown the efficacy of the intervention. Considering the need of more idiographic research within the domain of reminiscence and life review, a case study of a middle-aged woman who participated in the intervention is presented. The paper ends with a tentative description of the effective components of life review within a narrative therapeutic framework
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
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