VITAL INVOLVEMENT: A SOURCE OF REALISTIC OPTIMISM FOR OLDER ADULTHOOD

Abstract Vital Involvement (VI) was initially proposed (Erikson et al., 1986) as one of three principles around which lifelong healthy psychosocial development takes place. As more recently elaborated, VI has come to describe a person’s meaningful, reciprocal engagement with the world outside the integrating “self.” It is through VI that the person engages in healthy psychosocial development throughout life, including balancing Older Adulthood’s focal tension between Integrity and Despair. This life stage is widely associated with the physical, cognitive, and social losses, and societal constraints that give rise to later-life despair. However, VI functions as a lifelong psychosocial model for the meaningful environmental engagement that supports later life’s wisdom and integrity. Notably few films present an integrated view of older adulthood’s losses along with opportunities. But those few can be a source of optimism to elders for whom VI may not be intuitive, but who can learn its practice.

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VITAL INVOLVEMENT: LINKING CREATIVITY TO LATER-LIFE WELL-BEING

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1556 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S417-S417

Author(s):

Helen Q Kivnick

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

The Self ◽

Five Dimensions ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

The People ◽

The World

Abstract Erikson’s principle of Vital Involvement (VI) holds that psychosocial health in older adulthood rests on elders’ meaningful, reciprocal engagement with the world outside the self. Older adulthood’s focal tension between Integrity and Despair is fundamentally grounded in elders’ “…vital involvement, with life’s people, materials, activities, ideas, institutions, and so forth. [This engagement is] … every bit as important as …[the] reminiscence” (Kivnick &Wells, 2014) we have long identified as a path to wisdom. Through several empirical projects, our team has identified five dimensions of VI in older adulthood. Each is clearly invoked as an elder engages such arts media as clay, paint, paper, fiber, wood, words, music, movement, and more. These VI dimensions are also invoked in an elder’s creative engagement with the people, materials, activities, and institutions of everyday life. This presentation illustrates ways that VI, through these dimensions, both facilitates and also expresses psychosocial well-being in older adults.

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Early Origins of Body Mass in Later Life: Examining Childhood Risks and Adult Pathways

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.1177/00221465211005419 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002214652110054

Author(s):

Sarah A. Mustillo ◽

Miao Li ◽

Patricia Morton ◽

Kenneth F. Ferraro

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Mass ◽

Health Risks ◽

Early Life ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Later Life ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Early Life Exposure ◽

Nationally Representative

Prior research reveals that negative early-life experiences play a major role in the development of obesity in later life, but few studies identify mechanisms that alter the lifetime risk of obesity. This study examines the influence of negative childhood experiences on body mass index (BMI) and obesity (BMI ≥30) during older adulthood and the psychosocial and behavioral pathways involved. Using a nationally representative sample, we examine the influence of cumulative misfortune as well as five separate domains of misfortune on BMI and obesity. Results show that four of the five domains are associated with BMI and obesity either directly, indirectly, or both. The influence of cumulative misfortune on the outcomes is mediated by three adult factors: socioeconomic status, depressive symptoms, and physical activity. The mediators identified here provide targets for intervention among older adults to help offset the health risks of excess BMI attributable of early-life exposure to misfortune.

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For the Love of the Game: An Exploration of the Experiences and Psychosocial Development of Women 70 Years of Age and Older Who Play Volleyball

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2021-0100 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jessica Brooke Kirby ◽

Mary Ann Kluge

Keyword(s):

Lived Experience ◽

Psychosocial Development ◽

Positive Reinforcement ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Later Life ◽

Physical Competence ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Skill Mastery ◽

Personal Assets ◽

Inductive Analysis

There is much to learn about the lived experience of sport participation in later life for older women. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 18 women volleyball players, ages 70 years and older. Four themes emerged from an inductive analysis of in-depth, semistructured interviews: (a) seeking and enjoying optimal challenge, (b) demonstrating physical competence through skill mastery, (c) commitment to continue playing while navigating declining competence, and (d) connection with teammates and positive reinforcement. Following the inductive analysis, the themes were analyzed using personal assets frameworks as lenses through which to further understand how these women’s psychosocial development through sport compared with youth and Masters sport. Challenge, competence, connection, and commitment to continue were salient personal assets identified for these women. Researchers should continue to explore how positive sport development across the lifespan can be both universal and nuanced for diverse cohorts of athletes.

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Innovation in Later Life: A Study of Grandmothers and Facebook

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.1177/0091415020940200 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 009141502094020

Author(s):

Mor Yachin ◽

Galit Nimrod

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technology ◽

Communication Technology ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Innovation Theory ◽

Use Patterns ◽

The World ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Set Up

Relying on the Innovation theory of successful aging, this study aims at exploring how grandmothers around the world perceive and use Facebook. Twenty-seven focus groups were set up in seven countries: Canada, Colombia, Israel, Italy, Peru, Romania, and Spain. Participants consisted of 184 grandmothers aged 65 and over who use information and communication technology to some extent. Data were analyzed according to hybrid thematic analysis principles and findings pointed to substantial ambivalence regarding Facebook. Grandmothers who used it reported rather restrained use that was typically triggered externally and characterized by reactive use patterns. Nevertheless, Facebook appeared to promote users’ well-being by supporting preservation of their relationships, roots, and sense of relevance. These findings suggest a new theoretical tenet to innovation theory according to which even “restrained innovation” in later life may be beneficial.

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Child Domestic Labour in (Accra) Ghana: A Child and Gender Rights Issue?

The International Journal of Children s Rights ◽

10.1163/157181810x522298 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 217-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Peace Tetteh

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Policy Development ◽

Later Life ◽

Domestic Workers ◽

Child Labour ◽

The World ◽

Domestic Labour ◽

Gender Based ◽

And Gender ◽

Rights Issue

AbstractChild domestic labour is one of the widespread and exploitative forms of child labour in the world today. However, the ubiquity of child/adolescent (domestic) labour, together with the perception that such work-especially in relation to girls is important training for later life, normalises such work and renders it invisible. Child domestic labour is thus, largely feminised as almost 90 percent of the children are girls. Many domestics work for long hours with no rest or remuneration, and are subjected to verbal, physical and in some instances sexual abuse in the households of their employers. The conditions under which many child domestics live and work, undermines and threatens many basic rights of children. is paper highlights the child and gender-based rights that are actually or potentially denied child domestic workers in order to influence policy development and implementation, as well as advocacy for and on behalf of children.

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Civic Life Through Environmental Engagement

10.1093/oso/9780190641481.003.0005 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Hart ◽

James Youniss

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Crucial Role ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Civic Life ◽

Community Life ◽

Environmental Practices ◽

Community Institutions ◽

Environmental Engagement ◽

The World ◽

Do So

Throughout the world, communities are increasingly facing environmental challenges. Youth can both contribute to solutions to these problems and develop civically from their efforts to do so. Youth played a crucial role at the beginning of the 20th century in transforming agriculture, and we suggest that youth today have the potential to inform and advance environmental practices. We describe how linking youth to community institutions to address community environmental issues can provide a context for civic development and also address what may be the central challenge to community life in the future.

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Attitudes towards Bearing the Cost of Care in Later Life across the World

Illness Crisis & Loss ◽

10.2190/il.21.1.e ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 49-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hafiz T. A. Khan ◽

George W. Leeson ◽

Helen Findlay

Keyword(s):

Later Life ◽

Cost Of Care ◽

The World ◽

The Cost

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Meaning in Life in Earlier and Later Older-Adulthood: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Correlates of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464816658750 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (10) ◽

pp. 1270-1294 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

D. J. Hallford ◽

D. Mellor ◽

R. A. Cummins ◽

M. P. McCabe

Keyword(s):

Psychosocial Development ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Regression Models ◽

Well Being ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Psychological Resources ◽

Search For Meaning ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Meaning In Life Questionnaire

Objective: To validate the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) in earlier and later older-adulthood, and examine its correlates. Method: Participants in earlier ( n = 341, M age = 68.5) and later older-adulthood ( n = 341, M age = 78.6) completed the MLQ and other measures. Confirmatory multigroup analysis, correlations, and regression models were conducted. Results: A two-factor (presence and search), eight-item model of the MLQ had a good fit and was age-invariant. Presence and search for meaning were largely unrelated. Meaning was associated with life satisfaction, well-being across a range of domains, and psychological resources. Searching for meaning correlated negatively with these variables, but to a lesser degree in later older-adulthood. Discussion: The MLQ is valid in older-adulthood. Meaning in life is psychologically adaptive in older-adulthood. Searching for meaning appears less important, especially in later older-adulthood. Findings are discussed in the context of aging and psychosocial development.

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Adult life stage and crisis as predictors of curiosity and authenticity

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025416645201 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 426-431 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Oliver C. Robinson ◽

James D. Demetre ◽

Jordan A. Litman

Keyword(s):

Life Stage ◽

Adult Life ◽

Later Life ◽

Self Report ◽

Self Help ◽

Felt Sense ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Report Data ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Self Report Data

During periods of developmental crisis, individuals experience uncomfortable internal incongruence and are motivated to reduce this through forms of exploration of self, other and world. Based on this, we inferred that being in a crisis would relate positively to curiosity and negatively to a felt sense of authenticity. A quasi-experimental design using self-report data from a nationally representative UK sample ( N = 963) of adults in early life (20–39 years), midlife (40–59 years) and later-life (60+) showed a pattern of findings supportive of the hypotheses. Three forms of curiosity (intrapersonal, perceptual and epistemic D-type) were significantly higher, while authenticity was lower, among those currently in crisis that those of the same age group not in crisis. Crisis was also related to curiosity about particular book genres; early adult crisis to self-help and spirituality, midlife to self-help and biography, and later life to food and eating.

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