Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation

Stability of self-esteem across the life span.

“…A number of life changes that tend to occur in old age might have a negative impact on wellbeing, including health problems, declining socioeconomic status, spousal loss and bereavement, loss of social support, and a decline in achievement experiences following retirement. However, some researchers have theorized that aging entails improved coping and emotion regulation that may protect against declining feelings of well-being (Baltes & Baltes, 1990;Brandtstaedter & Greve, 1994;Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). Consistent with these divergent theoretical views, there appear to be few replicable age differences in well-being for samples over 60 years of age, with some studies showing improvements and others showing declines (e.g., Carstensen, Pasupathi, Mayr, & Nesselroade, 2000;Charles, Reynolds, & Gatz, 2001;Diener & Suh, 1998;Smith & Baltes, 1999).…”

Special Issue Introduction: The Meaning and Measurement of Thriving: A View of the Issues

“…For instance, one example of the emerging strengths of adolescents is their ability to contribute intentionally to the adaptive developmental regulations with their context (Gestsdóttir and Lerner 2008). Such intentional self regulation may involve the selection of positive goals (e.g., drawing from the context the resources needed for adaptive functioning), using cognitive and behavioral skills (such as executive functioning or resource recruitment) to optimize the chances of actualizing ones purposes and, when goals are blocked or when initial attempts at optimization fail, possessing the capacity to compensate effectively (Baltes and Baltes 1990;Freund and Baltes 2002).…”

Individualized measurement of quality of life in older adults: development and pilot testing of a new tool

“…As in Study 1, older participants named markedly fewer domains than did younger ones. This shrinking complexity on an intra-as well as interindividual level can be interpreted in terms of Baltes and Baltes' (1990) model of Selective Optimization with Compensation or Brandtstädter's two-process framework of adaptation (Brandtstädter and Rothermund 2002). Put simply, both models predict an adaptive shift in subjective importance to those domains in life in which a person is still able to exert a certain degree of control or participation (in whichever way).…”

“…Despite the instructions mention ''satisfaction and dissatisfaction'' the latter seems to be underrepresented. This side-effect of human adaptation in the sense of Baltes and Baltes (1990) or Brandtstädter (Brandtstädter and Rothermund 2002) is almost unavoidable, but nonetheless problematic in that there is a danger of overestimating quality of life when relying solely on subjective accounts. Thus we remind to see the FLQM as a supplementary means to determine overall quality of life that should be combined with more objective and/or performance-focused assessments for the broader picture.…”

“…Despite all ambiguity and diversity in concepts, there is a certain agreement that quality of life (in its totality) is a multidimensional construct (Baltes and Baltes 1990;Guggenmoos-Holzmann et al 1995;Lawton 1991;WHOQoL Group 1995). Facets of social integration, health, economy, mobility, but also emotional wellbeing are included in more elaborate measures of quality of life.…”