Aging, culture and control: setting a new research agenda.
In the context of reviewing the current status of research on aging and control, we put forth five propositions: (1) Striving for primary control is a human universal invariant across historical time and diverse cultural settings; (2) the expression of control striving is in part shaped by culture; (3) the field needs to move away from the study of perceived control and its correlates to the study of motivational aspects of control; (4) control should be studied in a life span context and the focus should be on key transitions that redefine opportunities for control striving; and (5) inasmuch as primary control striving is such a central element of human functioning, research on its demise at the end of life should receive high priority.
Schulz
R
R
University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Heckhausen
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005610:Freedom; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D012649:Self Concept; D012924:Social Conditions