Abstract
The much studied concept of personal control has delineated separate constructs of perceived control (PC) and desired control (DC), with some findings suggesting a congruence between the two has more predictive power than considering either alone. The present study focuses on a comparison of PC and DC in two age groups. The congruence (or “fit”) model predicts that any disparity between these two constructs would be similar, regardless of age differences on either construct alone, for those who maintain a sense of well-being. Consistent with this model, although younger women reported significantly higher scores on measures of PC and DC than did older women, the groups reported equal degrees of congruence between PC and DC. In regression analysis, the congruence score also was a significant predictor of positive affect for the older group, suggesting that it is beneficial to make control adaptations with age.
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Acknowledgments
Data from this study originated as a thesis project at Ohio University, where the following faculty served as committee members and provided valuable direction: Mark Alicke, Thomas Creer, and Jean Drevenstedt (Chair). Main findings previously were presented as a poster at the 60th annual scientific meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in San Francisco, CA, in November 2007.
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Mossbarger, B. The “Fit” Model of Personal Control and Well-Being in Younger and Older Adults. J Adult Dev 16, 25–30 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-008-9048-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-008-9048-5