Successful Aging, Life Satisfaction, and Generativity in Later Life

Abstract

This article explores the meanings older people attach to successful aging and life satisfaction and how these concepts can be differentiated. Forty elderly employees of the Ozarks Area Foster Grandparent Program (ages 61-92) were randomly selected and interviewed using an open-ended survey questionnaire. These questions explored understandings of successful aging and life satisfaction, the factors essential for each, and the differences perceived between these concepts. Qualitative data were coded by two independent reviewers. Respondents' understandings of successful aging involved attitudinal or coping orientations nearly twice as often as those for life satisfaction. Descriptions of life satisfaction emphasized the fulfillment of basic needs and was viewed as a precursor to successful aging. Content analysis confirmed five features of successful aging: interactions with others, a sense of purpose, self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. The findings suggest that generativity contributes to successful aging and remains a vital developmental task in later life.

Neuroticism, extraversion, goals, and subjective well-being: Exploring the relations in young, middle-aged, and older adults

“…Moreover, mainly due to different time perspectives across the life span, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests better emotion regulation as people get older, as well as fewer negative emotional experiences (Carstensen et al, 1999). Interestingly, people typically list positive social interactions, personal growth, sense of purpose in life, and self-acceptance as important to successful aging, life satisfaction and well-being in later life (Fisher, 1995;Lapierre, Bouffard, Dube, Labelle, & Bastin, 2001;Ryff, 1989). These criteria for successful aging are not only mirrored in intrinsic goal content (Kasser and Ryan, 1996), but also in emotion-related goals as posited by Carstensen and colleagues (1999).…”

Successful ageing: from cell to self

“…The concept of successful ageing has been a subject of escalating interest since its initiation as the main theme of the 1986 annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (Fisher 1995). The following year, Rowe & Kahn's (1987) seminal study, 'Human aging: usual and successful aging' in Science, ignited another wave of interest in successful ageing by recommending that research on successful ageing should concentrate on people with above average physiological and psychosocial characteristics in later life, or 'successful agers' as opposed to 'usual agers'.…”

“…Fisher (1995) explored the meanings older people attached to successful ageing and life satisfaction among 40 individuals between the ages of 61 and 92 years. It was shown that the term successful ageing reflected an attitudinal or coping orientation nearly twice as often as those for life satisfaction.…”

Health benefits: Meta-analytically determining the impact of well-being on objective health outcomes

“…Finally, although health can be construed as a complex construct with multiple physical, cognitive, and affective dimensions (Fisher, 1995;Ryff & Singer, 1998;Ware, 1987), in the present analysis, we opted to operationalize health in terms of physiological measures and relatively objective physical outcomes rather than using subjective self-reports. This practice has several advantages.…”