Emotional aging: a discrete emotions perspective

Abstract

Perhaps the most important single finding in the field of emotional aging has been that the overall quality of affective experience steadily improves during adulthood and can be maintained into old age. Recent lifespan developmental theories have provided motivation- and experience-based explanations for this phenomenon. These theories suggest that, as individuals grow older, they become increasingly motivated and able to regulate their emotions, which could result in reduced negativity and enhanced positivity. The objective of this paper is to expand existing theories and empirical research on emotional aging by presenting a discrete emotions perspective. To illustrate the usefulness of this approach, we focus on a discussion of the literature examining age differences in anger and sadness. These two negative emotions have typically been subsumed under the singular concept of negative affect. From a discrete emotions perspective, however, they are highly distinct and show multidirectional age differences. We propose that such contrasting age differences in specific negative emotions have important implications for our understanding of long-term patterns of affective well-being across the adult lifespan.

Getting older, feeling less? A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of developmental patterns in experiential well-being.

“…These studies have tentatively converged on the idea that anger cross-sectionally decreases across adulthood—perhaps due to older adults’ greater ability to regulate their emotions—whereas sadness may remain constant across the majority of adulthood before increasing in the lattermost years of life, perhaps due to increasing prevalence of negative health and interpersonal experiences that accompany old age (e.g., death of loved ones)(e.g., Kunzmann et al, 2014, 2013). Consistent with these emerging studies, we found negative cross-sectional associations between age and both global and experiential anger—and global (but not experiential) anger also longitudinally decreased over time.…”

“…Notably, research indicates that negative affect, in particular, wanes with age (e.g., Charles et al, 2015; Charles, Reynolds, & Gatz, 2001)—although emerging evidence suggests that certain discrete negative emotions (e.g., sadness) may defy this trend (e.g., Kunzmann, Kappes, & Wrosch, 2014; Kunzmann, Richter, & Schmukle, 2013). Evidence is far more mixed with respect to developmental changes in positive affect and life satisfaction.…”

Age differences in rumination and autobiographical retrieval

“…Considering the impact of depression on public health, it is important to increase the knowledge of different variables associated with the onset, development and maintenance of mood disturbances in young versus older adults. In general, sadness and anger decrease with age (Kunzmann, Kappes, & Wrosch, 2014). However, the variables associated with this effect are still uncertain.…”

Modelling goal adjustment in social relationships: Two experimental studies with children and adults

“…As research on coping and emotion regulation (ER) conceptually overlaps with goal adjustment processes (Aldwin, Skinner, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Taylor, 2011;Compas et al, 2014) and the confrontation with obstacles in goal pursuit is often accompanied by negative emotions such as anger or sadness (see e.g., Frijda, Kuipers, & ter Schure, 1989;Gross, 1998;Kunzmann, Kappes, & Wrosch, 2014), research on the development of coping and emotion regulatory processes provides a theoretical avenue to questions regarding the development of goal adjustment processes. As research on coping and emotion regulation (ER) conceptually overlaps with goal adjustment processes (Aldwin, Skinner, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Taylor, 2011;Compas et al, 2014) and the confrontation with obstacles in goal pursuit is often accompanied by negative emotions such as anger or sadness (see e.g., Frijda, Kuipers, & ter Schure, 1989;Gross, 1998;Kunzmann, Kappes, & Wrosch, 2014), research on the development of coping and emotion regulatory processes provides a theoretical avenue to questions regarding the development of goal adjustment processes.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, there are no theoretical models or elaborated considerations on questions of the development of goal adjustment processes within the realm of developmental regulation theories. As research on coping and emotion regulation (ER) conceptually overlaps with goal adjustment processes (Aldwin, Skinner, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Taylor, 2011;Compas et al, 2014) and the confrontation with obstacles in goal pursuit is often accompanied by negative emotions such as anger or sadness (see e.g., Frijda, Kuipers, & ter Schure, 1989;Gross, 1998;Kunzmann, Kappes, & Wrosch, 2014), research on the development of coping and emotion regulatory processes provides a theoretical avenue to questions regarding the development of goal adjustment processes. Moreover, besides individual characteristics, the social environment has been demonstrated to have a significant impact on the development of behaviours, personality, ER, coping, and goal pursuit (Reitz, Zimmermann, Hutteman, Specht, & Neyer, 2014;Rusbult, Finkel, & Kumashiro, 2009;Ryan, 2001;Salmela-Aro, 2009;Tolan & Grant, 2009;Zimmer-Gembeck & Skinner, 2016).…”