[Subjective well-being in the aged. Status of research and theoretical development]

Abstract

A review of research on well-being in later life is given, to achieve a theoretical elaboration of the field. The independence of positive from negative affect is shown first of all. This confirms well-being as autonomous psychological construct. A review of empirical research on the variations of well-being in later life indicates almost no coherent trends. This leads to severe problems in well-being research: uncomparable research instruments, contamination of indicators and correlates, ideological biases, ahistoricity, and lack of theoretical foundations. A review of factor analyses of well-being and theoretical considerations support a four-component approach: joy, negative affect, life satisfaction, and happiness. Together with familiar constructs, they are arranged in to a conceptual field of well-being. Finally fragments of theory are collected to develop a model of causal factors of well-being.