Wisdom and Life Satisfaction in Old Age

Abstract

Objective living conditions such as physical health, socioeconomic status, financial resources, physical environment, and social participation cannot fully explain life satisfaction in older adults. Instead, personality traits and developmental processes appear to have a stronger impact on life satisfaction. In this context, wisdom has re-emerged as an important predictor of life satisfaction. Traditionally regarded as a characteristic of older age, wisdom has recently been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, reflective, and compassionate components. Previous findings indicate a positive association between wisdom and coping in later life. The present study examined the relationship between wisdom and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 260 participants aged 60–89 years (M=69.76, SD=4.65) residing in the Aegean region of Turkey, 55.6% of whom were female. Data were collected using the San Diego Wisdom Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Reliability analyses yielded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.733 for the Wisdom Scale and 0.825 for the Life Satisfaction Scale. Results revealed a significant relationship between life satisfaction and wisdom (r=.250, p<0.05). In addition, wisdom scores significantly differed by income level (KWH=9.470, p=0.001) and coping with difficulties (z=-3.301, p=0.001), whereas life satisfaction scores significantly differed by education (KWH=10.877, p=0.012), income level (KWH=8.064, p=0.018), and coping with difficulties (z=-3.182, p=0.001). In conclusion, both life satisfaction and wisdom emerge as crucial resources for coping in older adulthood. Findings suggest that wisdom enhances life satisfaction independently of objective conditions, highlighting that successful aging in later life is more strongly linked to lifelong psychosocial development than to current circumstances.

Keywords

• old age
• wisdom
• life satisfaction
• coping

Yaşlılıkta Bilgelik ve Yaşam Doyumu

Abstract

Fiziksel sağlık, sosyoekonomik durum, mali koşullar, fiziksel çevre ve sosyal katılım gibi nesnel yaşam koşulları yaşlı bireylerin yaşam doyumunu tam olarak açıklayamamaktadır. Bunun yerine, kişilik özellikleri ve gelişimsel etkilerin yaşam doyumu üzerinde daha güçlü bir etkisi olduğu görülmektedir. Bu bağlamda, bilgelik yaşam doyumunun önemli bir öngörücüsü olarak yeniden ilgi görmektedir. Uzun yıllardır yaşlı bireylerin bir özelliği olarak kabul edilen bilgelik, son dönemde bilişsel, yansıtıcı ve şefkat boyutlarını içeren çok boyutlu bir yapı olarak psikolojik araştırmaların odağı haline gelmiştir. Bulgular, bilgelikle yaşlılıkta başa çıkma arasında pozitif bir ilişki olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu çalışmada, bilgelik ile yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Araştırmaya Ege Bölgesi’nde yaşayan 60–89 yaş arası 260 katılımcı (ortalama=69,76, ss=4,65) dahil edilmiş olup, katılımcıların %55,6’sı kadındır. Veriler, San Diego Bilgelik Ölçeği, Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği ve sosyo-demografik anket ile toplanmıştır. Analizler sonucunda Bilgelik Ölçeği için Cronbach Alpha=0.733, Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği için 0.825 bulunmuştur. Yaşlılıkta yaşam doyumu ve bilgelik arasında anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmıştır (r=.250, p<0.05). Ayrıca bilgelik puanları ile gelir durumu (KWH=9.470, p=0.001) ve zorluklarla başa çıkma (z=-3.301, p=0.001) arasında anlamlı farklılıklar bulunmuştur. Yaşam doyumu puanları ise eğitim (KWH=10.877, p=0.012), gelir durumu (KWH=8.064, p=0.018) ve zorluklarla başa çıkma (z=-3.182, p=0.001) ile anlamlı düzeyde ilişkilidir. Sonuç olarak, yaşam doyumu ve bilgelik yaşlılıkla başa çıkmada önemli kaynaklar olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Bilgeliğin nesnel koşullardan bağımsız şekilde yaşam doyumunu güçlendirdiği görülmektedir. Bu bulgular, yaşamın son döneminde iyi yaşlanmanın, mevcut koşullardan çok yaşam boyu psikososyal gelişime bağlı olduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

• yaşlılık
• bilgelik
• yaşam doyumu
• başa çıkma

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