Show simple item record

Control beliefs and subjective well-being in later adulthood.

dc.contributor.authorVella, Debra Jeanen_US
dc.contributor.advisorPerlmutter, Marionen_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-02-24T16:16:38Z
dc.date.available2014-02-24T16:16:38Z
dc.date.issued1993en_US
dc.identifier.other(UMI)AAI9332193en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:9332193en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/103689
dc.description.abstractSubjective beliefs about one's ability to control events and actions may greatly alter how one views oneself and one's life circumstances. Despite much theoretical joining of efficaciousness with a more robust sense of well-being for older adults, there have only rarely been attempts to empirically link control beliefs to broader concepts like happiness or life satisfaction. The current study focused on the link between control beliefs and subjective well-being, how control beliefs may vary for different domains of life (i.e., social relations and physical health), and the possible moderating effect of domain importance on the relationship between control beliefs and well-being in an elderly sample. Subjects (N = 129; M = 68.6 years) completed a number of questionnaires concerning generalized locus of control, domain-specific control beliefs relating to physical health and social relations, subjective and objective evaluations and importance ratings for health and social relations, and several well-being measures. The domain-specific control scales proved to be better predictors than the generalized control measures for the outcome variables of self-evaluations of health and social relations. The most consistent predictors of higher subjective well-being in a series of hierarchical regression analyses were higher subjective self-evaluations of physical health and social relations and stronger feelings of accommodative, or secondary control (i.e., flexibility in adjusting one's priorities and goals in the face of environmental and/or personal limitations). The results from this study emphasize the usefulness of domain-specific multidimensional control measures and domain-specific evaluations, and suggest a potentially interesting relationship between the subjective well-being of older adults and feelings of accommodative control. The ability to adjust one's goals and preferences to accommodate external and internal constraints may be an important factor in the maintenance of high well-being in older adulthood.en_US
dc.format.extent115 p.en_US
dc.subjectGerontologyen_US
dc.subjectPsychology, Developmentalen_US
dc.titleControl beliefs and subjective well-being in later adulthood.en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.thesisdegreenamePhDen_US
dc.description.thesisdegreedisciplinePsychologyen_US
dc.description.thesisdegreegrantorUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studiesen_US
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/103689/1/9332193.pdf
dc.description.filedescriptionDescription of 9332193.pdf : Restricted to UM users only.en_US
dc.owningcollnameDissertations and Theses (Ph.D. and Master's)


Files in this item

Show simple item record

Remediation of Harmful Language

The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.

Accessibility

If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.