Aging, Reminiscence and Life Satisfaction

Reminiscence, or recalling the past, is a behavior common to all ages. Research, however, has been conducted only with older adults, & has failed to delineate how reminiscence might be related to self-esteem, cognitive functioning, or life satisfaction. The relationship between life satisfaction...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Activities, adaptation, & aging adaptation, & aging, 1981-10, Vol.2 (1), p.39-50
Main Authors: Merriam, Sharan B, Cross, Lawrence H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging (see also Aged, Geriatric)
Life (see also Living)
Satisfaction
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Summary:Reminiscence, or recalling the past, is a behavior common to all ages. Research, however, has been conducted only with older adults, & has failed to delineate how reminiscence might be related to self-esteem, cognitive functioning, or life satisfaction. The relationship between life satisfaction & the reminiscent behavior of 309 students, young adults, middle-aged men & women, & older adults is examined. Life satisfaction scores were obtained by responses to the 17-item Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale. Two factors, coping & enjoyment, were derived from 11 statements regarding feelings Ss reported have had while reminiscing. Multiple regression analysis revealed a weak though statistically significant relationship between life satisfaction & the two factors. Those who placed greater emphasis on reminiscence as enjoyment tended to have high life satisfaction scores. Conversely, those who had higher scores on using reminiscence for coping tended to have lower life satisfaction scores. 3 Tables. Modified HA.
ISSN:0192-4788