Maintaining Self-Integrity and Efficacy Through Adulthood and Later Life: The Adaptive Functions of Assimilative Persistence and Accommodative Flexibility

Brandtstädter, Jochen; Rothermund, Klaus; Schmitz, Ulrich

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511527869.016

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…Many findings support the view that a sense of control and confidence in personal efficacy is crucial to maintaining a positive self-view (Brandtstädter et al, 1998). Moreover, it would appear that persons with self-confident efficacy cognitions are less vulnerable to feelings of despondency, since they have more positive outcome expectations (Bandura, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…A problem is that their quality of life can be threatened by physical health stresses and associated depressive symptoms (Wrosch, Schulz, & Heckhausen, 2004). Nevertheless, the lack of a 'general' drop in life satisfaction remains intriguing (Brandtstädter, Rothermund & Schmitz, 1998) and has prompted research aimed at exploring the basic mechanisms of perceived control and self-protective processes. Although a certain proportion of the elderly population does suffer from a dramatic drop in life satisfaction in the face of perceived decreased control, many elderly people adjust well to age-related changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: An empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation

Raedt

Ponjaert‐Kristoffersen²

2006

Aging & Mental Health

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Elderly people are often confronted with stressful events that threaten psychological homeostasis. Nevertheless, the lack of a general age-related drop in life satisfaction remains intriguing. The objective of this study was to analyze the basic mechanisms of perceived control and self-protective processes. Eighty-four elderly adults who underwent a fitness-to-drive evaluation were asked how they appraised their performance in a driving simulation task and were classified as over-estimators versus people who estimated their performance correctly and people who didn't overestimate their performance. Decreased physical resources were related to self-serving appraisal and less depressive feelings. The results are in line with theories on self-immunizing processes and provide support for the use of cognitive therapies in dealing with age-related limitations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: An empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation

Raedt

Ponjaert‐Kristoffersen²

2006

Aging & Mental Health

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“…What is needed is a dynamic and functional framework that makes sense of the different ways by which individuals respond to specific challenges in their environment. 55 A comprehensive understanding of the goal that patients want to accomplish is then necessary. Taking these considerations into account, one may often conclude that patients with chronic pain are stuck in their coping with pain.…”

Section: Fear and Safety-seeking Behavioursmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychology of chronic pain and its management

Crombez¹,

Goubert²

2007

Physical Therapy Reviews

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A traditional biomedical perspective considers pain as a direct consequence of an underlying pathology. The French philosopher René Descartes was one of the first to describe pain using a mechanical model. In his model there are direct and unique pain pathways from the body to the brain, in the same way a bell in the church tower rings when the rope attached to it is pulled. For Descartes, pain was a reflex of the mind upon nociceptive stimulation of the body. Pain was treated as a symptom, isomorphically related to the severity of underlying pathology. According to this perspective, pain treatment mainly consists of two acts: localisation of the underlying pathology and removal of the pathology with appropriate remedy or cure. In the absence of bodily damage, the mind was assumed to be at fault, and a psychological pathology was inferred.Similar assumptions are found in the specificity theory of pain. This theory hypothesises specific receptors and nerves that unambiguously transmit information about tissue damage (nociception) to the specific areas in the brain. It is not surprising then that 'pain-receptors', 'pain-nerves' and 'pain-centres' are spoken of. The biomedical perspective has undoubtedly resulted in medical successes. However, it is now known that many observed phenomena are not in line with the specificity theory. First, there are no specific 'pain' receptors or 'pain' nerves. At most, there is specialisation: some receptors or peripheral nerves are more sensitive than others in the transmission of nociceptive information. Second, research has not been successful in locating specific pain centres in Pain is among the most common somatic complaints. Fortunately, in only a minority of people is pain long lasting and severe, such that it interferes with daily life activities. Those with chronic, disabling pain present to healthcare providers repeatedly. Often they experience anxiety and depression, irritation, frustration and helplessness, and they suffer from insomnia and excessive medication use. It is well known that this group of chronic sufferers is difficult to treat: there is no immediate and definitive solution available for their pain problem. Therefore, treatment objectives consist of learning to control the somatic complaints and to improve the quality of life. In this paper, the importance of cognitive and behavioural processes in the experience of chronic pain and in pain-associated disability are discussed. First, pain is viewed from a traditional perspective that assumes a direct and immediate relationship between tissue damage, pain experience and disability. Next, pain is considered within a biopsychosocial perspective. Implications for the treatment of patients with chronic pain problems are outlined. We summarise theoretically grounded and effective treatment strategies in patients with pain, and conclude with emergent themes for future research and the improvement of clinical practice.

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“…Focusing on the impact of distinct critical life events instead of cumulative indices of stress has the advantage that the life domains and self-aspects that are affected by the critical event can be specified. On the basis of the self-regulatory processes model we expect that processes of reorientation and reappraisal should depend on the substitutability of the affected domains and should involve a downgrading of their importance and a corresponding increase in the importance of the non-affected self-aspects (Brandtsta¨dter & Rothermund, 2002a;Brandtsta¨dter, Rothermund, & Schmitz, 1998;Kling, Ryff, & Essex, 1997;Rothermund & Brandtsta¨dter, 2003, 1997a.…”

Section: Outlook On Future Research With the Self-regulatory Processementioning

confidence: 99%

Stress-Buffering Effects of Self-Complexity: Reduced Affective Spillover or Self-Regulatory Processes?

Rothermund

Meiniger

2004

Self and Identity

Self Cite

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Stress-buffering effects of high self-complexity can be explained by two different theoretical models. According to the affective spillover model (Linville, 1985), a large number of independent self-aspects prevents a generalization of affect after negative but also after positive events. According to the self-regulatory processes model, a large number of self-aspects promotes efficient self-regulation, which is restricted to negative events. Effects of negative and positive events on subsequent changes in depression were investigated in a prospective design. Having a large number of self-aspects was found to attenuate adverse effects of negative events on depression, irrespective of the distinctness of the self-aspects. No buffering effects were observed regarding the relation between positive events and depression. The self-regulatory processes model also predicts that for people with a large number of self-aspects, an increasing number of positive experiences should be generated in response to high levels of stress. This prediction was tested and confirmed in a second part of the study.

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Maintaining Self-Integrity and Efficacy Through Adulthood and Later Life: The Adaptive Functions of Assimilative Persistence and Accommodative Flexibility

Cited by 30 publications

References 0 publications

Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: An empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation

Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: An empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation

The psychology of chronic pain and its management

Stress-Buffering Effects of Self-Complexity: Reduced Affective Spillover or Self-Regulatory Processes?

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