Projecting the self in aging: an exploratory study of self-defining future projections

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Self-Defining Future Projections (SDFPs) link future thinking and identity.
• Previous research focused solely on young adults.
• Aging effects on SDFPs remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Self-Defining Future Projections (SDFPs) differ between young and older adults.
• To examine age-related changes in the specificity and subjective experience of future event representations.
• To contribute to understanding future thinking across the lifespan.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing young adults (19-28 years) and older adults (60-80 years).
• Participants (N=86) generated three Self-Defining Future Projections (SDFPs).
• Analysis focused on SDFP specificity, autobiographical reasoning, subjective experience, and content.

Main Results:

• Older adults' SDFPs were less specific than young adults'.
• No group differences in autobiographical reasoning.
• Older adults reported richer subjective experiences (sensory details, pre-experiencing) and more positive, near-future, leisure-oriented events.

Conclusions:

• Future event representations change with age, becoming less specific but subjectively richer.
• Older adults focus on more immediate, positive, and leisure-related future events.
• This research enhances understanding of future thinking and identity in aging populations.