Definition
A meta-model of general developmental processes based in the life-span developmental psychology tradition and typically applied to describe and study developmental regulation.
Overview
The model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) was introduced by Paul and Margret Baltes (1990). Conceived as a meta-model of developmental processes applicable to different domains and levels of functioning, the SOC model is often applied in life-span developmental research, particularly among older adults, using an action-theoretical framework. The SOC model includes three broad categories of goal selection and pursuit (See “Self-regulation” and “Goal setting”).
Selection involves delineating goals as a range of possible developmental outcomes and committing to a subset of these goals. In the SOC model, selection occurs either electively (e.g., choosing to increase physical activity; termed elective selection)...
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References
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Baltes PB, Baltes MM (1990) Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation. In: Baltes PB, Baltes MM (eds) Successful aging: perspectives from the behavioral sciences. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 1–34
Baltes PB, Lindenberger U, Staudinger UM (2006) Life span theory in developmental psychology. In: Lerner RM, Damon W (eds) Handbook of child psychology: vol 1. Theoretical models of human development. Wiley, Hoboken, pp 569–664
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Jopp D, Smith J (2006) Resources and life-management strategies as determinants of successful aging: on the protective effect of selection, optimization, and compensation. Psychol Aging 21(2):253–265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.21.2.253
Napolitano CM, Bowers EP, Gestsdóttir S, Chase PA (2011) The development of intentional self-regulation in adolescence: describing, explaining, and optimizing its link to positive youth development. Adv Child Dev Behav 41:19–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-386492-5.00002-6
Napolitano CM, Callina KS, Mueller MK (2013) Comparing alternate approaches to calculating reliability for dichotomous data: the sample case of adolescent selection, optimization, and compensation. Appl Dev Sci 17(3):148–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2013.804372
Wiese BS, Freund AM, Baltes PB (2002) Subjective career success and emotional well-being: longitudinal predictive power of selection, optimization, and compensation. J Vocat Behav 60:321–335. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1835
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Napolitano, C.M., Freund, A.M. (2019). The Model of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_109-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_109-1
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