Search

The topic of an optimal or utopian life has received much attention across the humanities and the arts but not in psychology. The German concept of Sehnsucht captures individual and collective thoughts and feelings about one's optimal or utopian life. Sehnsucht (life longings; LLs) is defined as an intense desire for alternative states and realizations of life. Presenting a first effort at capturing this phenomenon, the authors conceptualize LLs as composed of 6 interrelated core characteristics: (a) utopian conceptions of ideal development; (b) sense of incompleteness and imperfection of life; (c) conjoint time focus on the past, present, and future; (d) ambivalent (bittersweet) emotions; (e) reflection and evaluation of one's life; and (f) symbolic richness. Self-report data from 299 adults (19-81 years) support the postulated structure and support predictions regarding the functional role of Sehnsucht. Having LLs was evaluated as providing direction to development and helping to manage life's incompleteness. At the same time, the frequent and intense experience of LLs was associated with lower well-being. When LLs were perceived as controllable, however, this negative association disappeared.

A 3-year study of 82 young professionals found that work-related well-being was predicted by selection (commitment to personal goals), optimization (application of goal-related skills), and compensation (maintaining goals in the face of loss). The degree of compensation predicted emotional well-being and job satisfaction 3 years later. (Contains 56 references.) (SK)

Examined whether a structured free recall intervention could decrease the influence of traditional gender stereotypes on the performance evaluations of women. College students provided performance ratings for vignettes describing the performance of male and female professors. Without the intervention, raters who had traditional stereotypes evaluated women less accurately and more negatively. The structured free recall intervention successfully eliminated these effects. (SM)

Compared adolescents' (14 to 20 years) and young adults' (21 to 37 years) wisdom-related knowledge and judgment related to difficult and ill-defined life dilemmas. Rated responses along five wisdom criteria. Found that adolescents performed at lower levels than young adults but also demonstrated substantial age increments in performance. Adolescents' performance varied as a function of criterion and gender. (Author/KB)

Data from German professionals (n=206) were used to test selective optimization with compensation (SOC)--goal setting in career and partnership domains and use of means to achieve goals. A positive relationship was found between SOC behaviors and successful life management; it was more predictive for the partnership domain. (Contains 82 references.) (SK)

Used path analysis in a longitudinal study to examine the relation of overestimating one's capabilities with enhanced performance in German 8- to 11 year-olds. Found that after controlling for gender, school grade, prior academic achievement, and intelligence, overestimating one's capabilities was consistently associated with subsequent school performance. (Author/KB)

Tested the ability of 19 older adults, given additional training in a mental imagination technique, to approach the performance of 16 younger adults on serial word recall tasks. Results indicated that negative age differences in older adults' performance were substantial, resistant to extensive practice, and applicable to all subjects. (BC)

Verbal think-aloud protocols were collected from 60 subjects in 3 age groups ranging from 25 through 81 years. Only 5 percent of the responses were considered wise when rated on the criteria of rich factual and procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism, and the recognition and management of uncertainty. Wise responses were equally distributed across age groups. (RH)

Defines life-span developmental psychology as the study of constancy and change in behavior throughout the life course. Advances metatheoretical view regarding development. Stresses focus on the dynamic and continuous interplay between growth (gain) and decline (loss). Examines structural contextual factors and study of range of plasticity in development. (Author/RWB)

Two studies with 147 63-89 year olds examined whether training gains in fluid abilities are critically dependent on experimenter-guided training and/or whether older adults can achieve similar improvements on their own. Training improvements by the elderly can be based on activation of cognitive skills already in their repertoire. (TJH)