ERIC Number: EJ876026
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 96
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
Reflecting on Self-Relevant Experiences: Adult Age Differences
Rice, Cora; Pasupathi, Monisha
Developmental Psychology, v46 n2 p479-490 Mar 2010
A broad array of research findings suggest that older adults, as compared with younger adults, have a more positive sense of self and possibly a clearer and more consistent sense of self. Further, older adults report lower motivation to construct or maintain a sense of self. In the present study, we examined whether such differences in self-views were reflected in features of older and younger adults' narratives and narrating practices around recent, self-relevant events. Narratives about self-discrepant and self-confirming events were elicited from a sample of younger (18-37 years of age; n = 115) and older (58-90 years of age; n = 62) adults and were compared for indicators of engagement in self-construction, meanings, and emotionality. Older adults' narratives contained significantly fewer self-focused pronouns, less present tense, and less emotional language, and they were significantly less likely to articulate and resolve challenges to their self-concepts. These findings, as well as others, are consistent with the idea that older adults are less engaged in self-construction in narrating everyday events, perhaps especially for self-discrepant events. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Older Adults, Age Differences, Adults, Comparative Analysis, Self Motivation, Personal Narratives, Self Concept Measures, Form Classes (Languages), Individual Development, Evaluation Methods
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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