Strength and vulnerability integration: A model of emotional well-being across adulthood.

Abstract

The following paper presents the theoretical model of Strength and Vulnerability Integration (SAVI) to explain factors that influence emotion regulation and emotional well-being across adulthood. The model posits that trajectories of adult development are marked by age-related enhancement in the use of strategies that serve to avoid or limit exposure to negative stimuli, but age-related vulnerabilities in situations that elicit high levels of sustained emotional arousal. When older adults avoid or reduce exposure to emotional distress, they often respond better than younger adults; when they experience high levels of sustained emotional arousal, however, age-related advantages in emotional well-being are attenuated, and older adults are hypothesized to have greater difficulties returning to homeostasis. SAVI provides a testable model to understand the literature on emotion and aging and to predict trajectories of emotional experience across the adult life span.

Secular Changes in Late-Life Cognition and Well-Being: Towards a Long Bright Future With a Short Brisk Ending?

“…Physical functioning of older adults has improved from the 1980s onward, and common diseases such as arthritis have become less disabling. In contrast, prevalence rates of chronic health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, cancer) and multimorbidity, both associated with compromised well-being (Charles, 2010), are higher among later-born cohorts. In light of these conflicting findings, indicators of health should be taken into account when examining secular trends in cognition and well-being.…”

Understanding retirement: the promise of life-span developmental frameworks

“…For instance, they may strive to acquire new information or extend their social circles. In contrast, when time is limited, as is typically the case in older adulthood, individuals are found to optimize well-being in the present moment by seeking out emotionally rewarding experiences and spending time with close social partners (Carstensen 2006;Charles 2010).…”

Demographic Characteristics and Sense of Danger Predicting New Measure of Individual Resilience Following a War

“…Yet some researchers indicate that resilience is not the absence of pathology [11]. Charles's theoretical model claims that well-being before, throughout, and after stressful situations is determined by individual strengths and vulnerabilities simultaneously [12]. According to Richardson, resilience theory has shifted its focus "from looking at risk factors that led to psychosocial problems to the identification of strengths of an individual'' [13], but practically, this shift has ignored the contention that strength as well as vulnerability are embedded in any resilience.…”