Control strategies for managing health threats in older adults

This article addresses the motivational processes that enable older adults to manage health-related threats and to protect their psychological and physical functioning. Based on the Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development (MTD) [1], we describe how an age- and opportunity-adjusted use of control strategies can support the regulation of important developmental goals across the lifespan. In addition, we apply the premises of the MTD to the management of health threats in later adulthood and review the pertinent empirical literature. Finally, we use the Lines-of-Defense model [2] to show how an orchestrated and strategic use of control strategies can help older adults to manage the experience of progressive health declines and remain engaged in the pursuit of important health goals.