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Published on: January 24, 2020
Metamemory and Self-Compassion as Protective Factors in the Relationship Between Benevolent Ageism and Environmental
Jennifer F Sublett1, Toni L Bisconti1
1Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA.
Abstract:
The present study examined the interrelationships between benevolent ageism, metamemory, self-compassion, and environmental mastery. By assessing older adults' perceptions of overaccommodative behaviors, we found greater perceptions of benevolent ageist experiences, or well-intended patronage, related to lower levels of environmental mastery, effectively managing one's own affairs, in a sample of 202 older adults. Additionally, this relationship is mediated by metamemory, or self-perceptions of memory abilities, as greater perceptions of benevolent ageism experiences indirectly predicted less environmental mastery through having decreased metamemory confidence. Finally, this mediated relationship is moderated by self-compassion, or kindness and acceptance towards oneself, in that self-compassion interacts with benevolent ageism to predict metamemory, which in turn predicts environmental mastery. Self-compassion is part of a growing literature on intervening variables that helping professionals can teach older adults to mitigate the relationship between ageism and their overall well-being alongside efforts to diminish the pervasiveness of ageism in society.
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