Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Originalia

Zum Erleben von altersbezogenen Veränderungen im Erwachsenenalter

Eine explorative Studie auf der Grundlage des Konzepts „Awareness of Age-Related Change” (AARC)

Published Online:April 04, 2013https://doi.org/10.1026/0049-8637/a000081

Abstract

Der vorliegenden Studie liegt das Konzept „Awareness of Age-Related Change” (AARC; Diehl & Wahl, 2010) und ein entsprechender Fragebogen zu Grunde. Die empirische Grundlage der Studie bildete eine Stichprobe von 265 Personen (69 % Frauen; 40 – 87 Jahre). Zunächst wurden in einer Kombination von explorativen und konfirmatorischen Analysen aus ursprünglich 60 generierten Items, die gleichermaßen Gewinne und Verluste in unterschiedlichen Bereichen altersbezogener Veränderungen beinhalteten, ein optimiertes Itemset von 2 x 16 Items identifiziert (Gewinnbasiertes AARC: Cronbachs alpha = .82; Verlustbasiertes AARC: Cronbachs alpha = .87; Interkorrelation: r = -.05; RMSEA = .045). Insgesamt zeigten sich auf dieser Messgrundlage im Wesentlichen die erwarteten Zusammenhänge. So korrelierte vor allem verlustbasiertes AARC deutlich positiv mit Neurotizismus, negativ mit Extraversion und negativ mit Indikatoren erfolgreichen Alterns. Insgesamt bestätigen die Befunde, dass Älterwerden vor allem durch ein negativ getöntes Alternsveränderungserleben charakterisiert ist.


Experiencing age-related change in adulthood: An exploratory study based on the concept of “Awareness of Age-Related Change” (AARC)

The present study used a newly developed concept and respective self-report questionnaire to assess adults’ awareness of age-related change (AARC; Diehl & Wahl, 2010). The study sample consisted of 265 adults (69 % women; aged 40 – 87 years). An initial item pool of 60 items was factor-analyzed using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. These analyses yielded a factor of gain-related AARC and a factor of loss-related AARC across the five behavioral domains represented in the questionnaire’s items. Based on this factor structure, an optimal item set of 2 × 16 items was identified (gain-related AARC: Cronbach’s alpha = .82; loss-related AARC: Cronbach’s alpha = .87; factor intercorrelation: r = –.05; RMSEA = .045). Expected associations of these two factors with conceptually meaningful correlates were supported. Specifically, loss-related AARC was positively correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with extraversion and indicators of successful aging. By and large, our findings supported the notion that aging is mostly associated with negatively perceived changes.

Literatur

  • Baltes, P. B. & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes (Eds.), Successful aging. Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1 – 34). New York: Cambridge University Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Baltes, P. B. , Lindenberger, U. & Staudinger, U. M. (2006). Life-span theory in developmental psychology. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., Vol. 1: Theoretical models of human development, pp. 569 – 664). New York: Wiley. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Borkenau, P. & Ostendorf, F. (2008). NEO-Fünf-Faktoren Inventar (NEO-FFI) nach Costa und McCrae. Deutsche Fassung (2. neu norm u vollst überarb Aufl). Göttingen: Hogrefe. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Brandtstädter, J. (2007). Konzeption positiver Entwicklung. In J. Brandtstädter & U. Lindenberger (Eds.), Entwicklungspsychologie der Lebensspanne (pp. 681 – 723). Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Diehl, M. K. & Wahl, H.-W. (2010). Awareness of age-related change: Examination of a (mostly) unexplored concept. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 65B, 340 – 350. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbp110 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Diener, E. , Emmons, R. A. , Larsen, R. J. & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71 – 75. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Dörner, J. , Mickler, C. & Staudinger, U. M. (2005). Self-development at midlife. Lifespan perspectives on adjustment and growth. In S. L. Willis & M. Martin (Eds.), Middle adulthood. A lifespan perspective (pp. 277 – 317). Thousand Oaks: Sage. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York, NY: Norton. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Filipp, S.-H. & Ferring, D. (1998). Befindlichkeitsregulation durch temporal und soziale Vergleichsprozesse im Alter. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie, 27, 93 – 97. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Filipp, S.-H. , Ferring, D. & Klauer, T. (1989). Subjektives Alterserleben–ein Merkmal erfolgreichen Alterns? Zeitschrift für Gerontopsychologie und -psychiatrie, 2, 296 – 300. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Heckhausen, J. , Dixon, R. A. & Baltes, P. B. (1989). Gains and losses in development throughout adulthood as perceived by different adult age groups. Developmental Psychology, 25, 109 – 121. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hertzog, C. & Hultsch, D. F. (2000). Metacognition in adulthood and old age. In F. I. M. Craik & T. A. Salthouse (Eds.), The handbook of aging and cognition (2nd ed., pp. 417 – 466). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hess, T. M. (2006). Attitudes toward aging and their effects on behavior. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (6th ed., pp. 379 – 406). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Heyl, V. & Wahl, H.-W. (2001). Psychosocial adaptation to age-related vision loss: A six-year perspective. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 95, 739 – 748. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kastenbaum, R. , Derbin, V. , Sabatini, P. & Artt, S. (1972). „The ages of me”: Toward personal and interpersonal definitions of functional aging. Aging and Human Development, 3, 197 – 211. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kleinspehn-Ammerlahn, A. , Kotter-Grühn, D. & Smith, J. (2008). Self-perceptions of aging: Do subjective age and satisfaction with aging change during old age? The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 63, P377-P385. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kornadt, A. E. & Rothermund, K. (2011). Contexts of aging: Assessing evaluative age stereotypes in different life domains. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 66B, 547 – 556. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Kotter-Grühn, D. , Kleinspehn-Ammerlahn, A. , Gerstorf, D. & Smith, J. (2009). Self-perceptions of aging predict mortality and change with approaching death: 16-year longitudinal results from the Berlin Aging Study. Psychology and Aging, 24, 654 – 667. doi:10.1037/a0016510 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lawton, M. P. (1975). The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale: A revision. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 85 – 89. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levy, B. R. (2003). Mind matters: Cognitive and physical effects of aging self-stereotypes. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58B, P203-P211. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Levy, B. R. (2009). Stereotype embodiment: A psychosocial approach to aging. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 332 – 336. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levy, B. R. & Myers, L. M. (2004). Preventive health behaviors influenced by self-perceptions of aging. Preventive Medicine, 39, 625 – 629. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levy, B. R. , Slade, M. D. , Kunkel, S. R. & Kasl, S. V. (2002). Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 261 – 270. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levy, B. R. , Slade, M. D. , May, J. & Caracciolo, E. A. (2006). Physical recovery after acute myocardial infarction: Positive age self-stereotypes as a resource. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 62, 285 – 301. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Little, T. D. , Cunningham, W. A. , Shahar, G. & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9, 151 – 173. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Montepare, J. M. (2009). Subjective age: Toward a guiding lifespan framework. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33, 42 – 46. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Roberts, B. W. , Walton, K. E. & Viechtbauer, W. (2006). Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 1 – 25. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rothermund, K. & Brandtstädter, J. (2003). Age stereotypes and self-views in later life: Evaluating rival assumptions. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 549 – 554. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rothermund, K. & Mayer, A.-K. (2009). Altersdiskriminierung – Erscheinungsformen, Erklärungen und Interventionsansätze. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Schumacher, J. (2003). SWLS. Satisfaction with Life Scale. In: J. Schumacher, A. Klaiberg & E. Brähler (Hrsg.), Diagnostische Verfahren zu Lebensqualität und Wohlbefinden (S. 305 – 309). Göttingen: Hogrefe. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Sneed, J. R. & Whitbourne, S. K. (2003). Identity processing and self-consciousness in middle and later adulthood. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58, P313-P319. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Steverink, N. , Westerhof, G. J. , Bode, C. & Dittmann-Kohli, F. (2001). The personal experience of aging, individual resources, and subjective well-being. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56B, P364-P373. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Veenhoven, R. (1996). Developments in satisfaction research. Social Indicators Research, 37, 1 – 46. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Westerhof, G. J. & Barrett, A. E. (2005). Age identity and subjective well-being: a comparison of the United States and Germany. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 60B, S129 – 136. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wurm, S. , Tesch-Römer, C. & Tomasik, M. J. (2007). Longitudinal findings on aging-related cognitions, control beliefs, and health in later life. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62B, P156-P164. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar