The Interpretation of Life Experience and Well-Being: The Sample Case of Relocation

Social psychological theories of the self postulate mechanisms through which individuals interpret their life experiences to ensure positive self-evaluation. This framework was applied to a sample of aging women ( N = 120, M age = 74.9 years) who had experienced community relocation. The authors mea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology and aging 1992-12, Vol.7 (4), p.507-517
Main Authors: Ryff, Carol D, Essex, Marilyn J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cross-Sectional Studies
Developmental psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Homes for the Aged
Human
Human Migration
Humans
Internal-External Control
Life Change Events
Life Experiences
Mental Health
Personal Satisfaction
Population Dynamics
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Self Concept
Self-Evaluation
Social Environment
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
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Summary:Social psychological theories of the self postulate mechanisms through which individuals interpret their life experiences to ensure positive self-evaluation. This framework was applied to a sample of aging women ( N = 120, M age = 74.9 years) who had experienced community relocation. The authors measured their reasons for moving (push factors), reasons for selecting the new setting, (pull factors), and interpretive mechanisms, including how they compared with others in their new setting, how they were viewed by significant others following the move, how their behaviors changed following relocation, and whether the above evaluations occurred in life domains central to their sense of self. Regression analyses showed that push-pull factors and interpretive mechanisms accounted for substantial variance in multiple aspects of psychological well-being, particularly environmental mastery, purpose in life, and positive relations with others.
ISSN:0882-7974
1939-1498
DOI:10.1037/0882-7974.7.4.507