Although extensive findings underscore the relevance of future time perspective (FTP) in the process of aging, the assumption of FTP as a unifactorial construct has been challenged. The present study explores the factorial structure of the FTP scale (Carstensen & Lang, 1996) as one of the most widely used measures (Ntotal = 2,170). Results support that FTP reflects a higher-order construct that consists of 3 interrelated components-Opportunity, Extension, and Constraint. It is suggested that the flexible usage of the FTP scale as an all compassing 10-item measure or with focus on specific components depends on the concrete research question. (PsycINFO Database Record

We review the contribution of social integration on the process of successful aging. Building on empirical findings, we describe three major challenges and potentials of social contexts that are related to the elasticity, role differentiation, and the risk potentials of social relationships in adulthood. We propose a model of aging well together that advances concepts of selection, optimization, and compensation to social aging and to the mastery of relationship demands. According to the model, individuals are choosing and seeking positive social experience, improving the fit of their social environment, and they counterbalance the risks of social contact. We provide exemplary empirical evidence for the existence of such regulatory contributions of social bonding on aging well. Several implications for researchers as well as practitioners in the field of gerontology are extracted. Future research needs to further disentangle the dynamic and complex nature of social relationship effects on positive aging.

This study investigated age differences in anger and sadness in a sample of 82 younger (Mage = 26, SDage = 4.05) and 80 older (Mage = 70, SDage = 3.95) adults. Participants were instructed to first relive a personal memory that was characterized by either anger or sadness and to subsequently think aloud about this memory. Across different emotional response systems (i.e., subjective feelings, verbal expressions, facial behaviors, physiological arousal), older adults reacted with less anger than did their younger counterparts, whereas age differences in sadness were less pronounced. Together the findings corroborate the idea that age differences in negative emotional reactivity are multidirectional and suggest that a discrete emotions approach may complement dimensional approaches to emotional aging. (PsycINFO Database Record

Recent research has emphasized the critical role of personality in the caregiving situation, but not much is known about how individual differences shape the transitions into and out of caregiving. Based on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, N= 14,495), we explored how personality is associated with adopting and maintaining the caregiving role. The results revealed that individuals with less emotional stability were more likely to take over the responsibility to provide care. Moreover, care-related personality change was affected by sex and age. In detail, female care entrants were more burdened than their male counterparts, and younger caregivers seemed to adapt better to the caregiving role than older ones. The findings point to the interplay of personality and sociostructural conditions in the caregiving role over time.

Past work suggests that perceived reciprocity in social relationships declines with age. Although positive associations between perceived reciprocity and relationship satisfaction have been documented, relationship satisfaction seems to remain relatively stable over the life-span. Addressing this seemingly contradictory pattern of findings, we predicted that perceived reciprocity may become less important to relationship satisfaction with age and that this association differs across various relationship categories (i.e., spousal, communal, and exchange relationships). We tested these predictions applying multilevel models to cross-sectional and longitudinal data of middle-aged and older adults from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Aging (ILSE). Consistent with past work, perceived reciprocity was lower in older than middle-aged adults and declined over time, while relationship satisfaction did not differ between age groups and increased over time. Inconsistent with our prediction, the association between perceived reciprocity and relationship satisfaction was stronger in older than middle-aged adults in our cross-sectional analyses. By contrast, the longitudinal analyses that were based on only older adults were consistent with our prediction: the association between perceived reciprocity and relationship satisfaction decreased over time. Additionally, the association between perceived reciprocity and relationship satisfaction differed between relationship categories, being particularly strong in spousal relationships and less in communal and exchange relationships. In general, our results suggest that both, age and relationship category, need to be considered when investigating perceived reciprocity and relationship satisfaction from an adult life-span perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record

Preferences about future caregiving are not described solely by socio-demographic aspects but are also colored by anticipations of both gains and losses. Findings point to the need to focus on motivational factors to enhance our understanding in the context of caregiving decisions.

Although emotional experience and expression are strongly tied to social contexts, most age-comparative studies have used an individualistic approach. The few dyadic laboratory studies that exist have focused on discussions about conflicts and have suggested that older couples experience and express less negative emotion than younger couples. However, recent studies have emphasized the context dependency of age differences in emotional reactivity. More concretely, in situations such as conversations in which the experience and expression of negative emotion might be beneficial for the relationship because it can initiate support and indicate togetherness, older adults should experience and express similar or even higher levels of negative emotion than younger couples. To test this hypothesis, 37 younger (Mage = 24.33) and 41 older couples (Mage = 70.27) were instructed to talk about an ongoing problem experienced by one member of the couple. The main dependent variables were the intensity of negative emotion as manifested in subjective feelings as well as facial and verbal expressions during the conversation. Additionally, we examined age differences in couples’ emphasis on togetherness. In contrast to past work but consistent with our prediction, there were not many age differences in both partners’ emotional experience and expression. Moreover, in line with previous studies, older couples perceived and expressed more togetherness during the conversation than younger couples. These findings suggest that age differences in negative emotion may be context dependent and less evident if negative emotion does not harm the relationship and serves potentially adaptive functions.

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