Planning for the future: A life management strategy for increasing control and life satisfaction in adulthood.

Abstract

The study examined the social, personality, and cognitive correlates of self-reported future planning and the relationship of future planning to perceived control and life satisfaction. Using 2 probability samples of adults ages 25-74 (n 1 = 2,971, n 2 = 300) findings suggest, for Study 1, that education, income, social support, predictability, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience were positively related to future planning, whereas Neuroticism and Agreeableness were negatively related. Men were more future oriented; as age increased, future planning decreased. Study 2 replicated the findings with the exception of age, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. For both studies, results supported a model in which the effects of future planning on life satisfaction were mediated by sense of control. A Planning X Age interaction for Study 1 indicated that although self-reported future planning decreased with age, the positive effects of future-oriented planning strategies on life satisfaction were most pronounced for the older adults, and this relationship was also mediated by control beliefs.Psychologists have long been interested in the ways in which people control or structure their lives and how those different strategies influence outcomes. Planning, as a life management strategy, is one way people control and structure their lives. Often we are advised not to count our chickens before they hatch or that a "one-day-at-a-time" approach to life may yield more positive outcomes. According to Cameron, Desai, Bahador, andDremel (1977-1978) even the Bible tells us "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has troubles enough of its own" (Matthew 6:34, King James Version). In contrast, the view that by planning for the future we ensure direction, control, and a greater sense of well-being in our lives is espoused by western cultural views. Take, for example, the recent trend of hiring personal planners for everything from weddings to vacations and the large inventory of day planners in office supply and computer stores (Kunde, 1998).The goals of the present study were twofold: (a) to examine individual differences in self-reported future planning in relation to environmental, personality, and cognitive antecedents and (b) to investigate the relationship of future-oriented planning to perceived control and life satisfaction. Further, this study examined whether the nature of that relationship varied by age. The extensive research literature on planning falls into two broad categories: (a) those involving problem-solving processes and planning of discrete, finite tasks (e.g., Das, Kar, & Parilla, 1996;G. A. Miller, Galanter, & Pribram, 1960;Smith, 1996) more open-ended, generalized life-planning tasks (e.g., Cantor, 1990;Little, 1983;Nurmi, 1989;Smith, 1996). This study focused on the latter approach by assessing self-reported planning styles.Process models of planning (e.g., S. L. Friedman & Scholnick, 1997;Macan, 1994;Scholnick & Friedman, 1993) suggest possible antecedents and outco...

Optimizing well-being: The empirical encounter of two traditions.

“…Ratings were reverse coded when necessary, so that higher scores reflect higher standing on each dimension. Prenda and Lachman (2001).…”

Personality trait development in midlife: exploring the impact of psychological turning points

“…The alpha reliabilities for Conscientiousness were .58 and .61. For more details on the development of the personality trait scales in MIDUS, see Lachman and Weaver (1997) and Prenda and Lachman 2001).…”

Relation Between Time Perspective and Delay Discounting: A Literature Review

“…The ZTPI consists of five subscales: Past-Positive, reflecting a warm, sentimental, positive attitude toward the past; Past-Negative, reflecting a generally negative, aversive view of the past; Present-Hedonistic, reflecting a hedonistic, enjoyment-and pleasure-focused, risk-taking "devil may care" attitude toward time and life; Present-Fatalistic, measuring a fatalistic, helpless, and hopeless attitude toward the future and life; and Future, measuring a general future orientation that includes the planning for and achievement of future goals, often at the expense of present enjoyment, delayed gratification, and avoidance of time-wasting temptations (also see D'Alessio, Guarino, de Pascalis, &Zimbardo, 2003, and, for questionnaire variants focusing on one or more subscales). Similar, though not as widely adopted, measures have been developed recently to examine the degree to which individuals perceive their use of time as structured and purposive (Bond & Feather, 1988), the extent to which individuals plan for the future (Prenda & Lachman, 2001), and their consideration of future consequences (CFC; Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger, & Edwards, 1994). studies directly comparing delay discounting and Future Time Perspective…”