Socioemotional Selectivity Theory Research Articles

Money matters, but what else? Mature worker motives and the importance of gender, age, socioeconomic status and age-inclusive HR practices

Policies encouraging extended workforce participation mainly focus on financial motives, but socioemotional selectivity theory and research suggest that mature worker motives are multifaceted, with emotionally meaningful goals gaining importance with age. We adopt a person-centred approach using latent class analysis of survey data from 1501 Australian workers aged 45 years and over. Two motivational profiles based on patterns of motives were identified, which we term income-dominant (income is the main reason) and socioemotional-income (socioemotional reasons are dominant, but income is important too). Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of a socioemotional-dominant profile. This provides new theoretical insights, as it suggests that even though socioemotional reasons may increase in importance with age, financial reasons remain important to most mature workers, especially those who may view work as being transactional. Being female, older, and having higher socioeconomic status and age-inclusive HR policies increase the odds of having a socioemotional-income rather than income-dominant profile. The socioemotional-income subgroup had lower turnover intentions and later desired retirement ages than the income-dominant subgroup, highlighting the potential for more socioemotionally focused policies and practices to encourage extended workforce participation.JEL Classification:J26, M12, M54

Health Fraud against the Elderly in China: The Perspective of Vulnerability Manipulation

ABSTRACT The aging-related vulnerabilities have long been regarded as salient factors affecting older adults’ health fraud victimization. Traditional wisdom tends to focus on how victims’ vulnerability facilitates victimization. Despite its insights, such a focus neglects the importance of offenders’ active manipulation and exploitation of victims’ vulnerability, which may lead to victim blaming. Using data collected from 233 Chinese judgment documents (the court records of the crime) and 13 interviews with secondary victims – family members or close relatives of the (primary) victims, this paper examines how three aging-related vulnerabilities, declined ability in information processing, comfort-driven social preference, and positivity-driven emotional preference, were deliberately manipulated by health fraud offenders. This study provides the latest empirical evidence on how health fraud against the elderly occurs in China and sheds new light on vulnerability manipulation from the socio-emotional selectivity theory.

Harnessing the Potential of Older Workers Through Relationships at Work: Social Support, Feedback, and Performance

Abstract With the aging of the global workforce, it is crucial to deepen our understanding of how to keep older workers healthy, motivated, and productive. In this research, we integrate job design with socioemotional selectivity theory to propose that social job characteristics relate to employee performance differently for older and younger workers. Specifically, in a 3-wave survey (N = 454), we tested employee age as a moderator of the relationships between receiving social support and feedback at work, and performance, as well as giving social support and feedback at work, and performance. The results showed that, in general, both receiving and giving social support and feedback are associated more strongly with the performance of older than younger workers. The findings provide important theoretical implications for the study of aging and work; they also offer practical applications for creating workplaces in which older workers can reap the benefits of social relationships to remain productive.

Do people become more proactive at work as they grow older? Examining the mediating roles of intrinsic motivation, emotional exhaustion, and career aspiration.

Today, there is an increasingly aging workforce. Previous studies have examined whether aged people exhibit more positive attitudes, better health, and better performance. However, the relationship between age and proactive work behavior has seldom been examined, which is unfortunate since organizations need employee proactivity to deal with uncertainty and unpredictability. Based on socioemotional selectivity theory, we propose that age might be positively related to proactive work behavior through intrinsic motivation and emotional exhaustion because older people tend to manage their emotions and obtain intrinsic enjoyment. But age might be negatively related to proactive work behavior through career aspiration because older people focus less on future development. With a sample of 393 people, we revealed intrinsic motivation and career aspiration. The findings could help us better understand how age is related to organizational outcomes and individual differences in proactive work behavior. They could also further reduce age-related discrimination and encourage organizations to manage older people in wise and better ways.

Engaging age-diverse workers with autonomy and feedback: the role of task variety

PurposeThe aging of the population is changing the composition of the workforce in most developed countries. With increasingly older and age-diverse workforces, organizations need to redesign jobs to keep their workers healthy, happy and productive across the lifespan. In the current research, the authors integrate socioemotional selectivity theory and selection, optimization and compensation theory with job design to investigate how certain job characteristics influence the work engagement of older and younger workers.Design/methodology/approachIn a two-wave survey with age-diverse employees from multiple organizations (N = 372), the authors explore how autonomy and feedback contribute to the engagement of older and younger workers, depending on levels of task variety.FindingsIn the case of older workers the relationships between autonomy and engagement, and feedback and engagement are positive when task variety is low but non-significant when task variety is high. Conversely, in the case of younger workers the relationships between autonomy and engagement, and feedback and engagement are positive when task variety is high but non-significant when task variety is low.Research limitations/implicationsThe research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on aging and work, particularly the lifespan perspective on job design. Nonetheless, the correlational design warrants caution about drawing causal inferences.Practical implicationsThe findings inform managers on how to combine autonomy, feedback and task variety to design jobs that can engage the multi-age workforce.Originality/valueThe research is among the first to investigate the combined effects of different job characteristics on age-diverse employees' engagement at work.

A TEST OF THE SOCIOEMOTIONAL SELECTIVITY THEORY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

The primary assertion of the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST) is that with increasing age, individuals become more selective in their social networks and consciously reduce their social network size. Although SST has received considerable support from studies conducted in mostly individualistic countries, such as the United States and Germany, there are very few studies in which it has been tested in collectivistic countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to test the SST argument in Turkey. There were 219 Turkish young adult participants, aged 18–28 (Mage = 20.07 years, SD = 1.76). Participants completed a Social Convoy Questionnaire, Future Time Perspective (FTP) scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Via the structural equation model, it was found that (a) open-ended FTP directly and positively related to positive affect, higher level of social satisfaction, and smaller social network sizes; and (b) social satisfaction mediated the relationship between FTP and young adults’ positive affect. The results confirm the SST’s arguments and highlight the importance of social satisfaction in helping shape young adults’ positive affect.

Age Differences in Everyday Emotional Experience: Testing Core Predictions of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory With the MIVAModel.

Emotional aging research is dominated by the idea of age-related improvements that result from shifts in motivation. Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) proposes that as individuals age, they increasingly favor emotion-related goals and savor positive but avoid negative emotions. Previous age-comparative studies on everyday emotional experience typically were descriptive or studied the processes underlying emotional experience in isolation. We aimed at a more holistic approach to test hypotheses derived from SST regarding age-related differences in general emotional dispositions (i.e., anchoring), emotional reactivity, and emotion regulation by using a computational approach. We applied our Model of Intraindividual Variability in Affect (MIVA) to data on everyday emotional experiences in an age-diverse sample (N=378, age range 14-86years). Parameter estimations were carried out within a Bayesian framework. Our results provide partial support for predictions derived from SST. Unexpectedly, anchoring showed a negative age trend, indicating a more positive affect disposition in younger, not older adults. Reactions to pleasant events showed no age trend. Reactivity to unpleasant events was highest in midlife and lower for younger and older adults. Consistent with SST, affect elicited by pleasant events was regulated less strongly by older adults and affect elicited by unpleasant events more strongly. As our results provide only partial support for SST, we revisit the phenomena that are at its foundations and provide suggestions on how to refine the theory.

Cross-Level effects of High-Performance Work Systems on the Innovative Work Behaviours of Employees: The Role of Future Time Perspectives

This study assesses the mediating role of future time perspective in the relationship between high-performance work systems and innovative work behaviours of employees in Tanzania’s banking sector. Drawing from AMO theory, social exchange theory, and socio-emotional selectivity theory, we hypothesise that, first, the utilisation of high-performance work systems in an organisation is positively associated with future time perspective; second, the utilisation of high-performance work systems in an organisation is positively associated with the innovative work behaviours of employees in the organisation, and third, future time perspective mediates the relationship between high-performance work systems and innovative work behaviours of employees in a workplace. The findings of this cross-level study constitute 152 respondents from the company level (business unit level) and 220 respondents from the employee level. The results provide empirical evidence that high-performance work systems have a significant and positive effect on future time perspective, high-performance work systems have a positive and significant effect on innovative work behaviour and, importantly, future time perspective has a partial mediation in the relationship between high-performance work system and innovative work behaviour. The practical implications of the study are that managers need to effectively implement HPWS practices to encourage employees to be innovative as mediated by their perception of future prospects. Through this adoption and utilisation of HPWS, organisations can enhance innovative work behaviours amongst employees and therefore organisational performance.

Age differences in psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: March 2020 - June 2021.

In March 2020, COVID-19 brought illness, lockdowns, and economic turmoil worldwide. Studies from March-April 2020 reported increased psychological distress, especially among younger (vs. older) adults. Here, we examine whether age differences persisted in a 29-wave longitudinal survey conducted with an American national life-span sample over the first 16 months of the pandemic. Socio-emotional selectivity theory (SST) predicts that older age will be consistently associated with lower psychological distress due to life-span changes in motivation, while the strength and vulnerability integration model (SAVI) posits that age differences in psychological distress will diminish under prolonged stress. We find that younger adults consistently reported more psychological distress than older adults, though age differences did decrease over time. Prior diagnosis with anxiety or depression additionally predicted greater psychological distress throughout the study, but did not moderate age differences. We discuss implications for psychological theories of aging and interventions to reduce psychological distress.

Age differences in preferences through the lens of socioemotional selectivity theory

Age differences in preferences through the lens of socioemotional selectivity theory

Aging differently: How socioemotional reactions to perceived remaining time in life influence older adults’ satisfaction in virtual communities

This study aims to understand how older adults’ socioemotional reactions to perceived remaining time in life influence their satisfaction from their knowledge contribution and seeking in virtual communities (VCs). Rooted in socioemotional selectivity theory, we choose a positive attitude toward aging and meaning in life to describe older adults’ reactions to aging, and test the proposed hypotheses based on 204 valid survey responses. Results confirm that while both knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking activities promote older adults’ satisfaction, the impact of knowledge contribution is stronger on satisfaction. Furthermore, as hypothesized, the positive attitude toward aging amplifies the impact of knowledge-seeking while meaning in life weakens the impact of knowledge contribution on older adults’ satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature on how older adults derive satisfaction from their knowledge contribution and knowledge-seeking activities in VCs and offers insights into using VCs to build a digitally inclusive society.

COVID-19 reduced age differences in social motivation.

Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) maintains that when futures loom large, as they typically do in youth, people are motivated to explore. When future time is perceived as more limited, as is typical in old age, people are motivated to pursue emotionally meaningful goals. Because the COVID-19 pandemic primed mortality across the age spectrum, it provided an opportunity to examine whether age differences in social motivation typically observed were also present during the pandemic. We measured social motivation, as operationalized by social preferences, in two studies during peak of the pandemic in 2020. Once vaccines were introduced in 2021, we conducted two additional studies using the same experimental paradigm. As hypothesized, at the peak of the pandemic, social preferences favored emotionally meaningful partners regardless of age. Social preferences differed by age (as reliably observed in research conducted before the pandemic) when vaccines were available. Findings suggest that widely documented age differences in social motivation reflect time horizons more than chronological age.

THE PHENOMENON OF LIFE PERSPECTIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PERSONALITY

Abstract. The article presents the concept of "life perspective" in different study approaches of this phenomenon. The main authors and theories that most fully reveal the concept of life perspective are noted. The difference in the approach to the study of life prospects in domestic and foreign psychology is determined. The main foreign theories are described, including AAC (assimilative / accommodative coping), MTLD (the motivational theory of lifespan development), SOC (selection, optimization and compensation), SST (socioemotional selectivity theory). The results of the meta-analysis of the basic researches devoted to this construct are noted. The nature of the relationship between time perspective and such phenomenon as sociometric indicators, psychological well-being, behavioral characteristics, responsibility etc. The main internal approaches are indicated. Аmong them are systemic, event and others approches. The basic parameters, functions, features, structure of a time perspective are defined. The main parameters include depth, structure, realism, consistency, duration and optimism. It consists of value-semantic, emotional-evaluative, cognitive and organizational components. The concept of self-design is indicated, the structure of it includes awareness of goals, value-semantic formations, individual-personal opportunities and social conditions. The influence of life aspirations and life plans on the further development of life prospects is indicated.

Future Time Perspective, Priority of Social Goals, and Friend Networks in Old Age: Evidence for Socioemotional Selectivity Theory Using Subjective Age Gap

Several studies have focused on population aging, with a focus on the relationship between age and the main concepts of the socioemotional selectivity theory, but many do not report consistent results. Therefore, this study sought to better understand how the socioemotional selective theory informs our understanding of the elderly in Korea. More specifically, it aimed at observing how age groups differ in regards to future time perspective, social goals, and friend networks. Data were collected from 271 elderly people (M = 72.98 years old, SD = 5.63) using questionnaires. The statistical program SPSS 25.0 was used to perform descriptive statistical analyses, reliability analyses, and ANOVAs. The findings indicated that the Korean elderly participants perceived their subjective age to be younger than their chronological age. Furthermore, if they perceived their subjective age to be older than their chronological age, they were more likely to report that their network of friends was smaller than they desired. Lastly, depending on their age, the Korean elderly participants reported different priorities of the goals they wished to pursue. These results could help researchers, clinical practitioners, and policymakers to better understand the unique differences in the Korean elderly.

FRAMING CLIMATE-CHANGE INFORMATION TO PROMOTE ACTION IN OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Climate change poses an existential global risk, and mitigation requires population-level behavioral change. Due to their shortened time horizon, older adults may not perceive climate change as a personal risk within their lifetime and may be less likely to take action to combat climate change. Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST; Carstensen, 2006) posits that, as people age and perceive a shorter time horizon ahead, they become more focused on maintaining emotional wellbeing. This study, rooted in SST, manipulated the emotional framing of climate-change information in a sample of U.S. older adults. Participants were given EPA climate-change information localized to their state of residence and were instructed that, by taking action, the impact of climate change could be reduced (instilling hope) or that, by not taking action, the impact of climate change could be exacerbated (instilling fear). Afterward, they completed measures assessing their willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviors and support of macro-level legislation to combat climate change. Compared to older adults who received the "hope" frame, older adults who received the "fear" frame reported greater willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (p = 0.007) and greater support of legislation to combat climate change (p = 0.038), perhaps an effect of older adults' motivation to reduce the negative affective state induced by the "fear" frame. Implications of these results for catalyzing older adults toward climate action are discussed.

COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND LONELINESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS: DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL NETWORK AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT

Abstract As cognitive reserves diminish with age, older adults become aware of age-related losses and allocate their resources accordingly. Drawing on the selective optimization with compensation and socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults may select emotionally close social relationships to manage emotional distress caused by deterioration in cognitive functions. This study investigates whether different levels of cognitive functions [no impairment (NI), cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), and dementia] influence the degree of loneliness among older adults, and how heterogeneous patterns of social relations affect this association. We used data from the 2018 Health and Retirement study, which included 4,500 respondents over 51 years of age who completed a modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Using comprehensive social-relational indicators for the structure and quality of four relational sources (spouse or partner, children, family, and friends), we applied latent class analysis and identified five subgroups of social relations: restricted–limited support (Nf190, 4.22%), family and friends focused–ambivalent (Nf1,252, 27.82%), diverse–positive (Nf2,203, 48.96%), negative (Nf500, 11.11%), and spouse focused–ambivalent (Nf355, 7.89%). Hierarchical regression showed that those in the CIND (p < .032) and dementia group (p < .037) were more likely to experience loneliness than those in the NI group, and those with dementia who were in the category of spouse focused–ambivalent support (p < .001) had relatively lower levels of loneliness. Reliance on spousal support may be due to people selecting and adapting increasingly on closer relations to counter their vulnerability and feel less lonely. Interventions to sustain this core relationship should be encouraged, including spousal-caregiving relief programs.

TIME HORIZONS VERSUS TIME SAVORING: WHICH BEST PREDICTS AGE-RELATED IMPROVEMENTS IN EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING?

Abstract Previous research has shown that time horizons, as measured by the future time perspective (FTP) scale, yields mixed findings about the relationship between perceived time and emotional well-being. Expansive time horizons often predict better well-being than limited time horizons, raising questions about a core postulate of socioemotional selectivity theory (SST). The present study introduces a more nuanced construct about perceived time and introduces a new scale, time savoring, which captures the heightened value of time as time becomes more limited. Based on 1,384 participants (Mage = 54.55, age range = 18-96), time savoring and age are positively correlated (r(1,382) = .23, p < .001). Time savoring partially mediates age and well-being (i.e., greater happiness, lower depressive symptoms, and higher life satisfaction). Parallel mediation with multiple mediators demonstrated the measure’s discriminant validity from FTP and personality measures (e.g., agreeableness and conscientiousness), offering a promising way to measure heightened value of time.

THE ASSOCIATION OF SUBJECTIVE AGE AND FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION RISK: SOCIAL SUPPORT AS A MODERATOR

Abstract Financial exploitation of older adults bears detrimental physical and psychological consequences. However, little is known regarding factors which may contribute to financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) among this age-group. In line with the growing awareness of the importance of subjective perceptions of the aging process for older adults’ functioning and well-being, the current work examined the connection between subjective age (i.e., feeling younger/older than one’s chronological age) and FEV, and the possible moderating role of social support on this connection. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 137 Israeli older adults (age range 60-89, M=69.90, SD=6.85, 40.1% male), who completed scales assessing FEV, subjective age, and social support, as well as relevant socio-demographic information. Associations were examined using a hierarchical linear regression model which adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, and self-rated economic and health status. The main effect of subjective age was not significant (B=1.24, p=0.14), while the main effect of social support was found (B=-1.30, p=.03) indicating that low levels of support were associated with increased FEV, a finding consistent with the literature. The interaction of social support × subjective age was significant (B= -1.17, p= .025), accounting for an additional 4.0% of variance. Older subjective age was associated with increased financial exploitation vulnerability when social support was low, but not when social support was high. Results are interpreted with regard to Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory and provide initial information pertaining to the relevance of subjective age perceptions to FEV in older adults.

SUBJECTIVE VIEWS OF AGING AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG OLDER ADULTS: THEORY OF MIND AS A MEDIATOR

Abstract Research has demonstrated the importance of subjective views of aging (VoA) for older adults’ well-being. However, little is known regarding how understanding others’ emotional states may affect this association. Accordingly, we examined whether Theory of Mind (ToM), or the ability to comprehend others’ emotions, may mediate the effect of VoA on older adults’ social functioning. Thirty community-dwelling older adults (mean age= 71.23, SD= 8.57, 50% women) filled out daily questionnaires concerning ageist attitudes, attitudes toward aging, and satisfaction with social relationships for two weeks. Positive VoA (i.e., low ageist attitudes and positive attitudes toward aging) were associated with increased ToM and higher satisfaction with social relationships. Moreover, ToM was a significant mediator for the VoA-social relationships link, as positive VoA on a given day were indicative of higher ToM levels, which were associated with increased positive social relationships. Results are discussed from the perspective of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory.

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUTURE TIME PERSPECTIVE AND POSITIVITY EFFECTS

Abstract When compared to younger adults, older adults favor positive over negative information in attention and memory. This positivity effect is typically interpreted through the lens of socioemotional selectivity theory. According to this view, older adults often have a limited future time perspective (FTP), which leads them to prioritize emotional well-being goals. However, data from our lab suggest that a limited FTP is actually associated with increased negativity, rather than with increased positivity. More specifically, we found that older adults with a limited FTP (self-reported on the Carstensen and Lang FTP scale) rated their autobiographical memories more negatively. We also found that among older adults with high executive function abilities, a limited FTP was associated with reduced positivity in an episodic memory task. In discussing why these counterintuitive relationships occurred, we will also present data showing that a limited FTP is associated with negative attitudes about the future and the present.