Annual Review of Psychology· 2018Q1· Review
Agency and Motivation in Adulthood and Old Age
- 211citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2018year
Short summary
Individual agency and motivation shape development across adulthood and old age by enabling individuals to effectively regulate goal pursuit within life's opportunities and constraints.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Developmental agency involves action cycles for pursuing long-term goals.
- Individuals vary in their capacity to regulate goal engagement effectively.
- Agency and motivation are crucial for navigating life-span developmental challenges.
- The motivational theory of life-span development provides a framework for understanding these processes.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This review addresses conceptual and empirical research about how individual agency and motivation influences development during adulthood and old age. The major life-span approaches to individual agency and developmental regulation are discussed, with a focus on the motivational theory of life-span development. Developmental agency unfolds through action cycles of pursuing long-term goals for optimal development. Individuals differ in their capacity to regulate their goal engagements effectively within the age-graded structure of opportunities and constraints in their life courses. We discuss a set of research examples about specific developmental challenges, such as transition to adulthood, biological aging, illness, and societal transformation, and show how individuals, as agents in their own development, navigate change for better or worse. We conclude with suggestions for future research.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Annual Review of Psychology, 2018 · DOI ↗
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Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology