Integrity and aging
ethical, religious, and psychosocial perspectives
pp. 130-150
in: Daniel K. Lapsley, F. C. Power (eds), Self, ego, and identity, Berlin, Springer, 1988Abstract
Personality theorists have for many years dealt with the question of how adults successfully cope with the somatic, psychological, and social losses that are often characteristic of the final age period of the life cycle. Some have proposed that 'successful" aging depends upon developing new strategies for adapting to the challenges of this period. Others have stressed the role of personality traits developed much earlier in the life cycle. Over 25 years ago, for example, Cumming and Henry (1961) touted the highly controversial view that successful aging entails a withdrawal or "disengagement" from social roles and relationships. Their critics argued the opposite—that life satisfaction in old age requires maintaining a high activity level by replacing lost roles and relationships (e.g., Lemon, Bengston, & Peterson, 1972). Research by Neugarten, Havighurst, and Tobin (1968), although somewhat supportive of the activity theory, indicated that personality type is a more important determinant of life satisfaction. They found that persons classified as "integrated" reported high life satisfaction whether they were active or disengaged.