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ERIC Number: EJ729512
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Feb
Pages: 25
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1277
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Future Selves and Aging: Older Adults' Memory Fears
Dark-Freudeman, Alissa; West, Robin L.; Viverito, Kristen M.
Educational Gerontology, v32 n2 p85-109 Feb 2006
Thoughts about the self in the future, called possible selves, are an important component of the current identity of individuals. This study specifically focused on possible selves in the domain of memory and cognition. Both older and younger groups spontaneously reported possible selves in the cognitive domain, e.g., "learning a new skill," but younger adults did not spontaneously mention any memory-related possible selves. In contrast, almost 1/3 of our well-educated older adults reported possible selves related to memory--and nearly half had memory or cognitive concerns. Furthermore, every older adult who spontaneously listed a memory self also selected this as his or her "most dreaded" feared self. These people reported engaging in physical and mental exercise to try to prevent this feared self from materializing. Although fears about cognition and memory are important in the self-concept of well-educated older adults, these individuals also appear to have a proactive approach to dealing with such fears.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A