Contemporary psychology, Vol. 10 No. 2, 2007.
Review article
Motivational basis of self-regulation during life transitions
Katica Lacković-Grgin
; Department of Psychology, University of Zadar
Abstract
This paper is an overview of a research area instigated after the integration of basic concepts of cognitive motivation theories (for example, the Action theory, H. Heckhausen (1991), and Self-determination theory, Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000), as well as certain concepts of developmental life-span psychology, including life events which are factors in development, development plasticity and others. This integration has resulted in the formulation of new theories and models of development such as the Life-span theory of control by J. Heckhausen and Schultz, 1995 and the Model of Successful Aging, the so-called SOC model, by Baltes, 1990. Self-regulated development, that is, the individual's endeavour to influence their own development and to successfully manage their life, is possible because of selection, optimisation and compensation. These processes are especially important during life transitions. Normative and non-normative life events, as well as the historical context in which an individual lives, increase biological and social constraints. An individual copes with these constraints using various self-regulatory strategies and mechanisms such as primary, secondary and tertiary controls, social and temporal comparisons and so on. This paper shows several examples of how personal, social and historical changes in family and work environments influence the choice of the above mentioned strategies of self-regulation and the extent to which individuals persist in actions by which they wish to achieve their goals. In the end, there is a discussion on adaptive processec before and after the self-set time limit for achieving certain goals, such as the emotional consequences of aspirations and goals that have not been achieved, including life regrets.
Keywords
life goals; selection; optimisation and compensation; life events; control; life transitions; life regrets
Hrčak ID:
81392
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2007.
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