Well-being as a psychological indicator of health in old age: A research agenda

Based on the analysis of relevant studies concerning well-being in old age, three innovations were proposed that seem to be beneficial for future rese arch in this field: 1) In addition to two frequently studied personality fa ctors of mental well-being in old-age (extraversion and neuroticism), it wa s proposed to take into account the value-related priorities, and the conte nt of subjective ly significant goals of old people. Special emphasis is la id on the necessity to check the postulated influence of belief in a just w orld (Dalbert, 1998). 2) In accordance with the findings of L.L. Carstensen (1995) and M.P. Lawton (1996) concerning the significant influence of an i mproved ability of old people upon their capacity to manage their emotions, which results in their improved experiencing of life, it was proposed to e xamine the coping strategies usedin old age, and the coping styles characte ristic of old age. 3) The third innovation proposed is related to the fact that the cross-sectional research projects cannot identify all factors; the y can only identify cohort correlates of well-being. Since the longitudinal research method is - for various reasons (economic point of view, length o f research) - applicable to a limited extent only. it was proposed - in acc ordance with W. Fleson and P.B. Baltes (1998) - to use both actual and retr ospective formats of the tools selected. Special attention is paid to diagn osing the well-being factor. The paper presents points of departure for des igning the original diagnostic tool.