The literature regarding age differences in life satisfaction, locus of control and self-concept reveal seriously conflicting results while that on the relationships among these dependent measures has largely supported Erikson's proposals regarding the psychosocial crisis of ego integrity versus despair. A total of ninety-nine V. A. Domiciliary residents, with thirty-three in each of three age groups (50-59, 60-69 and 70+), completed measures of life satisfaction, locus of control and self-concept. Multivariate analysis of covariance demonstrated a significant age difference with the older veterans, who were less well educated and institutionalized longer, more positive on the composite of the three measures. Univariate analysis, however, resulted in significant age differences in self-concept and life satisfaction but not in locus of control. Based upon these findings and the relationships among the dependent variables, the older veterans appear to have resolved the ego integrity versus despair crisis more adequately in spite of having lived for a longer period of time in what has often been viewed as a sterile, blunting environment. Perhaps, contrary to popular assumptions, an institution may provide an environment that facilitates and nourishes the self-esteem and satisfaction of elderly residents.

Conflicting interpretations questioning whether brief intervals of real time are perceived as passing more or less rapidly with increasing age have been reported. Reasons for these inconsistent results lie in semantic confusions, in variations in methodology, and in the effects of other mediating variables. The present study examined relationships between age, value of time over both the short and the long term, perceived time to death, self-perceived activity levels, and estimates of brief time intervals in a sample of older institutionalized males. The production method was used to obtain the estimates of time passage. Time intervals were increasingly underestimated with advancing age, indicating that time units are shorter with increasing age. While a number of other variables were interrelated, the only other factor consistently related to time estimates was the short-term value of time. Implications for future research and for interventions in institutional settings are discussed.

An Importance, Locus and Range of Activities Checklist, designed to assess self-perceived latitude of choice, a self concept and a life satisfaction scale were administered to 25 institutionalized and 25 noninstitutionalized elderly females. The checklist contained statements about 37 activities of daily living which subjects rated for personal importance and degree of choice available to them. The derived latitude of choice score was based jointly on importance and choice ratings for each activity. Institutionalized respondents, living in a relatively restrictive environment, earned significantly lower latitude of choice scores than did noninstitutionalized subjects. Latitude of choice, self concept and life satisfaction scores were significantly correlated. These findings attest to the appropriateness of the technique used to assess perceived latitude of choice. Modifications of the Importance, Locus and Range of Activities Checklist designed to provide a more profound measure of latitude of choice and to improve the applicability of the scale to different categories of respondents were discussed.

The literature on age differences in life satisfaction, self-concept, and locus of control reveals a variety of conflicting findings. Nehrke et al. reported a study of elderly institutionalized males that attempted to control for some of the possible sources of variability. The present study extended this effort to a noninstitutionalized life-span sample of males and females in six age groups (fourteen to ninety-four). The age main effect was significant for the locus of control measure. For self-concept, the age and sex main effects were significant. For life satisfaction, the age and sex main effects and their interaction were significant. Generally, lower levels of self-concept and life satisfaction and a more external orientation characterized adolescents and young adults while, with notable exceptions, the remaining age samples were more positive in self-concept and life satisfaction and were more internally controlled. Although the three dependent measures were significantly correlated for the total sample, the correlations involving locus of control were only moderate. The data suggest that at least the life satisfaction and self-concept measures may be viable tools to assess the psychological quality of one's life, and that reliable age differences in well-being can be demonstrated if moderating variables are controlled experimentally or statistically.

A totally voluntary plasmapheresis program recruits 900 individual donors per year at a cancer research institute, where 500 to 900 units of platelets are transfused each month. Staff and donors use a film and brochures to recruit donors from the local community. Television and radio spots, with donor recognition pins, certificates, receptions, and picnics are utilized. Donor motivation was studied by use of: 1) CaliJorniu Psychological Inventory-measures a variety of "normal" personality traits; 2) Srudy of values-measures theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political, religious values; 3) Internal-External Control Scule-measures degree to which a person blames self vs. external events for what happens to him; 4) Fairh in People Scale-measures individual's confidence in his fellow man; 5) Anomiu Scale-measure of feelings of self-to4hers alienation; 6 ) Mach IV Scale-measure of persons tendency to manipulate others; and 7 ) Biogruphical Dam Form. Results are

The Person Environment (P-E) Congruence model represents an approach to understanding the impact of the environment on the well-being and adjustment of elderly which may also provide information for the development of intervention programs at individual, group and/or institutional levels. Assessment of P-E congruence, or fit between the person and his/her environment, was operationalized in two studies through the development of the Environmental Perception, Preference and Importance Scale (EPPIS). the EPPIS provides scales to assess environmental perceptions, individual environmental preferences and the important or salience of the environment on 15 empirically derived, commensurate dimensions. In a third study, the four-month test-retest reliability of the overall P-E congruence score of the EPPIS, defined as the absolute difference between the perceived and preferred environment weighted by importance, was .78 while the unweighted model reliability was .76. Also, the 15 dimensions of the EPPIS were observed to be significant predictors of well-being. It was proposed that the EPPIS may be used both to determine areas of intervention which the elderly themselves feel are important and as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions intended to reduce P-E incongruence and increase psychological well-being.

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