title: Me against myself: motivational conflicts and emotional development in adulthood.
abstract: Two studies investigated adult age differences in the frequency and emotional consequences of motivational conflicts (i.e., feeling that one wants to or should do something else in a given situation). Study 1 compared younger and older adults. Study 2 included a more age-heterogeneous sample ranging from 20 to 70 years. Data were obtained using diary and experience-sampling methods. Multilevel regression showed that motivational conflict was associated with lower emotional well-being. With age, the frequency of motivational conflict decreased, while emotional well-being increased. Importantly, the age-related decrease in motivational conflicts partly accounted for the age-related increase in emotional well-being. Findings were consistent across studies and robust after the authors controlled for age differences in a number of control variables including time use. The authors conclude that an age-related decrease in motivational conflicts in daily life may be among the factors underlying the positive development of emotional well-being into older adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riediger
authors.affiliation: University of Zurich.
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Freund
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D011594:Psychometrics