Bultena G L, Powers E A
Iowa State Univ., Ames 50011.
J Gerontol. 1978 Sep;33(5):748-54. doi: 10.1093/geronj/33.5.748.
A 10-year longitudinal study of the age-identities of persons 70 and older revealed that many rejected the possibility that they were, in fact, "old." Although there was increased acknowledgment in the restudy of being old, a majority of respondents continued to define themselves in other ways (i.e., as middle-aged or elderly). The importance of comparative reference groups for aging denial was tested. As hypothesized, favorable self-evaluations versus age peers were positively correlated with younger self-images. These comparative evaluations were shown to be as useful as "positional" variables in explaining age-identity. The findings demonstrate the utility of a reference-group perspective in explaining diverse psychological adaptations to late-life role changes.
一项针对70岁及以上人群年龄认同的10年纵向研究表明，许多人拒绝承认自己实际上已经“老了”这一可能性。尽管在后续研究中对衰老的认知有所增加，但大多数受访者仍继续以其他方式定义自己（即中年或老年）。研究了比较参照群体对否认衰老的重要性。正如所假设的那样，与同龄人相比的积极自我评价与更年轻的自我形象呈正相关。这些比较评价在解释年龄认同方面与“位置”变量一样有用。研究结果证明了参照群体视角在解释对晚年角色变化的各种心理适应方面的效用。
