Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
[The personal experience of aging. Multidimensionality and multidirectionality in relation to successful aging and
1Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, Postbus 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen. g.westerhof@psych.kun.nl
Abstract:
The positive and negative aspects that aging persons distinguish in different dimensions of the experience of their own aging process were studied. To examine the role of the aging experience in individual functioning, its relation with indicators of successful aging and well-being was focused on. The Dutch Aging Survey, using a representative sample of the present and future generations of elderly (40-85 years; N = 975), provided data on the experience of aging (positive and negative aspects, own aging as physical and social decline as well as continued growth), successful aging (health problems, loneliness and hope), and well-being (life satisfaction and positive and negative affect). Physical and social decline are the most prominent negative aspects and social gains and psychological growth are the most prominent positive aspects of one's own aging experience. The relation between aging experience and indicators of successful aging shows that individuals interpret their life situation in terms of their own aging process. Both negative and positive aspects of the aging experience are related to well-being, in particular for the group in transition to old age (55-69 years).
Related Concept Videos
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early adulthood, from the 20s...
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Dimensions of Health and Illness
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Emerging Adulthood