Successful aging at work: an applied study of selection, optimization, and compensation through impression management

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Cognitive abilities may decline with age, but job performance often remains stable.
• The Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) model offers a framework for understanding successful aging.
• The SOC model posits that individuals adapt to age-related changes by selecting goals, optimizing resources, and compensating for losses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the applicability of the SOC model to older workers' job performance.
• To develop and validate occupational measures of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (including Compensation-Impression Management).
• To examine how age moderates the relationship between SOC strategies and maintaining job competencies.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 224 working adults aged 40-69.
• Development of distinct and reliable occupational measures for Selection, Optimization, and Compensation-Impression Management.
• Moderated regression analyses to assess the interplay of age and SOC strategies on performance maintenance and goal attainment.

Main Results:

• The relationship between Selection and self-reported performance maintenance strengthened with age.
• The association between Optimization, Compensation-Impression Management, and goal attainment also increased with age.
• Results suggest SOC behaviors are crucial for older workers' sustained job competence.

Conclusions:

• The SOC model provides a valuable framework for understanding how older workers maintain job competencies.
• The effectiveness of SOC strategies in maintaining performance and achieving goals is enhanced in older age.
• Job, workplace, and individual factors may influence the adoption and efficacy of SOC behaviors.