New Territories of Positive Life-Span Development: Wisdom and Life Longings

2009 ◽  
pp. 170-184
Author(s):  
Susanne Scheibe ◽  
Ute Kunzmann ◽  
Paul B. Baltes
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Life Orientation ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Life Course

In search for concepts that help understand how individuals strive for growth and perfection within the boundaries and constraints of human lives, we describe theory and research on the concepts of wisdom, or expert knowledge about human nature and the life course, and Sehnsucht (life longings), the recurring and strong desire for ideal (utopian), alternative states and expressions of life. Both represent relatively new concepts on the agenda of lifespan research, originating from an interest in identifying major topics of public and humanist discourse about the potentials and constraints of life-span development and finding ways to measure them with the methods of normative psychological science. Despite their complexity and multiple meanings, progress has been made in the theory-driven operationalization of wisdom and life longings, allowing new insights into their ontogenesis and role for positive development. Emerging research shows that wisdom and life longings do not directly promote a hedonic life orientation or happiness: neither the insight that life is incomplete (wisdom) nor the experience of this incompleteness (life longings) is compatible with feelings of unequivocal joy and pleasure. Yet, there is emerging evidence that they contribute to other aspects of positive development, emphasizing personal growth, meaning, and the aligning of one's own and other's well-being. We suggest that future research should focus on the links of wisdom and life longings with multiple developmental outcomes and the possible interplay of both concepts in promoting positive development.

Territories of Positive Life Span Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Scheibe ◽  
Ute Kunzmann
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Life Orientation ◽  
Multiple Meanings ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Made In

In search of concepts that help us understand how individuals strive for growth and perfection within the boundaries and constraints of human lives, we describe theory and research on the concepts of wisdom, or expert knowledge about human nature and the life course, and Sehnsucht (life longings), the recurring and strong desire for ideal (utopian) alternative states and expressions of life. Both represent concepts on the agenda of life span research that originate from an interest in identifying major topics of public and humanist discourse about the potentials and constraints of life span development and finding ways to measure them with the methods of normative psychological science. Despite their complexity and multiple meanings, progress has been made in the theory-driven operationalization of wisdom and life longings, allowing insights into their life span development and role for positive development. Existing research shows that wisdom and life longings do not directly promote a hedonic life orientation or happiness: neither the insight that life is incomplete (wisdom) nor the experience of this incompleteness (Sehnsucht) is compatible with feelings of unequivocal joy and pleasure. Yet there is evidence that they can contribute to other aspects of positive development, emphasizing personal growth and maturity, meaning, and the aligning of one’s own and others’ well-being.

Life-Span Learning: A Developmental Perspective

2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Development And Aging ◽  
The Life Course

The article discusses learning as embedded processes of development and aging, and as social activity over the life course. The concept of life-span learning is proposed and outlined to discuss these processes as aspects of and propositions in life-span development and aging theory. Life-span learning processes arise and continuously develop in a dynamically complex body, brain, and the mind they support as essential features of development and aging over the life course. Life-span learning processes are established by evolutionary adaptive mechanisms, enriched by challenging environments, and continuously developed in supportive social structures. These ideas are derived from evolutionary biology and psychology, the cognitive sciences, life-span development and aging research, and adult development and learning studies. It is argued that life-span learning activities that challenge the body-mind-brain nexus are indispensable to optimize individual development and aging. Three global interventions and their strategies are discussed that enhance life-span learning: Learning to Learn, Learning for Growth, and Learning for Well-being.

scholarly journals DOES CHANGE IN INTERNET USE PREDICT PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG OLDER ADULTS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S326-S326
Author(s):  
Ronald W Berkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Additional Control ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Previous work focusing on the relationship between Internet use and quality of life among older adults (aged 65+) has found evidence of various positive impacts. This project expands upon this work by examining the relationship between Internet use and measures of psychological well-being (PWB) including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The analytic sample is derived from two waves of data (Time 1 = 2004, Time 2 = 2011) taken from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and includes a sample of older adults aged~65 at Time 1 (N = 4943). Participants were separated into four categories: those who did not use the Internet at Time 1 or 2, those who used the Internet at Time 1 only, those who used the Internet at Time 2 only, and those who used the Internet at both Time 1 and 2. Regression analyses were performed with the Time 2 PWB measures as the outcomes and the Internet use categories as the primary predictors. Results indicate that while continuous Internet users typically reported higher PWB scores compared to non-users, those who stopped use between Time 1 and 2 also reported higher scores and those who started use between Time 1 and 2 reported lower scores. These results generally held when introducing Time 1 PWB measures as controls, suggesting changes in Internet use may affect PWB but not necessarily in the predicted directions. Additional control variables, potential explanations, and implications for future research are discussed.

Introduction to Special Issue Financial and life instability: Obstacles to and opportunities for emerging adult development and future well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 439-442
Author(s):  
Margherita Lanz ◽  
Joyce Serido
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Financial Instability ◽  
Special Issue

Current global economic instability has exacerbated the challenges of contemporary emerging adulthood and increased the urgency of examining financial instability as a life condition during this life stage. For this special issue, we assembled eight papers from different countries to examine how emerging adults are navigating financial instability. In the current introduction to the special issue, we identified the main themes that emerged from the collected studies: the role of family, emerging adults’ financial self-agency, financial disruptions and wellbeing, and the processes linking financial factors and positive development. Overall, these studies demonstrate that while the overall processes linking finances and development may be similar in different nations, the specificity of each context highlights the need to consider the important role of cultural norms and attitudes. We conclude this introduction, suggesting future research paths and implications for educators and practitioners that provide financial educators programs.

scholarly journals Spiritual Well-Being in Sport and Exercise Psychology

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401983746
Author(s):  
Dev Roychowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exercise Psychology ◽  
Negative Behaviors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
Psychology Literature ◽  
Sport And Exercise

Research indicates that spirituality plays a cardinal role in enhancing sporting performance, personal growth, and well-being. Numerous researchers have attempted to examine the nexus of religion, spirituality, and psychological constructs to understand their role in sport and exercise performance and contexts. Despite the findings that spiritual well-being plays a crucial role in athletic excellence and as a buffer against a wide range of stressors and negative behaviors, it has received scant attention in the sport and exercise psychology literature. This present commentary examines the role of spirituality in sport psychology literature and proposes that spiritual well-being be incorporated into sport and exercise psychology training and consultancy to improve and enhance service delivery. This article also identifies a number of key areas for future research and practice.

scholarly journals Values Narratives for Personal Growth: Formative Evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay Program

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-293
Author(s):  
Victoria Banyard ◽  
Sherry Hamby ◽  
Ed de St. Aubin ◽  
John Grych
Keyword(s):  
Character Education ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Exercises

Evidence that even very brief writing exercises can change the way people see themselves and promote more positive mental and physical health has led to increased interest in their use in school settings and elsewhere. To date, however, research designs rely heavily on samples of college students and experimental studies of writing tasks carried out in the lab. There has been less investigation of the potential impact of more naturally occurring expressive writing exercises that exist in places like schools and that focus on adolescents. The current study was a process evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay, a values-based narrative program that was part of participants’ secondary school experience. It examined participants’ views of the impact of the program on their personal growth and, given the age range of participants, allowed for process evaluation of its perceived short- and long-term effects. Qualitative, semistructured interviews with 55 adolescent and adult participants were collected. Themes in participants’ responses included the importance of reflection and reappraisal of values, adversity, and relationships. Participants also discussed the importance of an audience for their writing, a novel finding that suggests one possible way to increase the impact of other narrative programs. Participants described variability in their engagement with expressive writing. This is one of the few studies that examined participants’ own views of the value of expressive writing and their responses suggest directions for future research and implications for designing expressive writing tasks to support social emotional learning and character education in schools and promote well-being at key developmental moments.

scholarly journals Personal Growth Initiative and Subjective Well-being: The Mediation Role of Meaning in Life [Iniciativa de crecimiento personal y bienestar subjetivo: el rol mediador del significado en la vida]

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Clarissa Pinto Pizarro Freitas ◽  
Elif Merve Cankaya ◽  
Bruno Figueiredo Damásio ◽  
Emily Jean Haddad ◽  
Helder Hiroki Kamei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Personal Growth Initiative ◽  
Growth Initiative ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the mediating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between personal growth initiative and subjective well-being. The sample was composed of a total of 1,899 Brazilian participants who voluntarily took part in this study by completing the study survey. Based on the results of the structural equation modeling, the relationship between personal growth initiative and subjective well-being was found to be partially mediated by the presence of meaning in life. Age was found to influence the mediation, as older participants reported greater PGI and MIL. Limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

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