How could lay perspectives on successful aging complement scientific theory? Findings from a u.s. And a German life-span sample.

Autor:	Jopp DS; Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York. jopp@fordham.edu., Wozniak D; Institute for Gerontology, Heidelberg University, Germany., Damarin AK; Department of Cultural and Behavioral Science, Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody., De Feo M; Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York., Jung S; Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York., Jeswani S; Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	The Gerontologist [Gerontologist] 2015 Feb; Vol. 55 (1), pp. 91-106. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Jun 23.
DOI:	10.1093/geront/gnu059
Abstrakt:	Purpose of the Study: This article investigates lay perspectives of the concept of successful aging in young, middle-aged, and older adults from 2 cultures, the United States and Germany, to potentially guide the development of scientific theories of successful aging. The empirical findings are embedded in a comprehensive overview of theories of successful aging and life-span development and offer implications for theory development. Design and Methods: Two samples of young, middle-aged, and older adults from the United States (N = 151) and Germany (N = 155) were asked about definitions and determinants of successful aging. Codes were developed to capture common themes among the answers, resulting in 16 categories. Results: Themes mentioned included resources (health, social), behaviors (activities), and psychological factors (strategies, attitudes/beliefs, well-being, meaning). There were striking similarities across countries, age, and gender. Health and Social Resources were mentioned most frequently, followed by Activities/Interests, Virtues/Attitudes/Beliefs, Well-being, and Life management/Coping. Age differences were limited to Growth/Maturation and Respect/Success, and gender differences were limited to Social Resources and Well-being. Educational and cultural effects were limited to psychological factors and Education/Knowledge, which were more often mentioned by U.S. participants and individuals with more education. Implications: Young, middle-aged, and older lay persons from the United States and Germany have quite similar concepts of successful aging, which they view in far more multidimensional terms than do established scientific theories (Rowe & Kahn, 1998). Given evidence that factors mentioned by laypeople do promote successful aging, considering them in more comprehensive theoretical models may enhance our understanding. (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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