ADAPTIVE RESOURCES OF THE AGING SELF - OUTLINES OF AN EMERGENT PERSPECTIVE

The transition to old age has often been related to loss of control, d epression, and lowered self-esteem. A different picture, however, begi ns to emerge from recent age-comparative studies. Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from two larger studies in the age range from mi ddle to late adulthood are presented which indicate that elderly peopl e, while being perceptive of age-related developmental losses, are qui te effective in maintaining a sense of control and a positive view of self and personal development. It is argued that the apparent resilien cy of the aging self hinges on the interplay between two basic process es: (1) instrumental activities that aim at preventing or alleviating developmental losses in domains that are relevant to the individual's self-esteem and identity; (2) accommodative processes by which persona l goals and frames of self-evaluation are adjusted to changes in actio n resources and functional capacities. Evidence is presented in suppor t of the assumption that with advancing age, accommodative processes b ecome increasingly important aspects of coping and life-management.