Abstract
According to the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), people’s goals tend to shift from being knowledge-driven to being emotion-driven as they age. While younger adults focus on future-oriented and knowledge-related goals, older adults tend to focus on emotion-related goals. Studies show that tragic events can make people of all ages perceive their time as limited, causing their goals to become more emotion driven. The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of such a tragic event. Younger adults (ages 18-35) and older adults (65+) were given a battery of survey items, including the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Future Time Perspective Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the COVID-19 Impact Items, and the Pandemic-Related Stress Scale. Results indicated that younger adults exhibited a moderate shift toward emotion-driven goals, as expected.
Presenters
Echo LeaverAssociate Professor, Psychology, Salisbury University, Maryland, United States Meredith Patterson
Associate Professor and Chair , Psychology, Salisbury University , Maryland, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Diversity Over Time: Changes in Individual, Organizational, and Place Contexts
KEYWORDS
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, Aging, COVID
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