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Abstract

Objectives
We investigate how adults of different ages experience changes in their social relationships during significant life events. Based on different goal priorities, younger adults may benefit more from establishing new social contacts during a significant life event, whereas older adults may benefit more from maintaining existing relationships.


Methods
To test these hypotheses, we conducted multilevel modelling with a sample of N = 6,688 participants aged 18 to 90 years who reported at least one significant life event in the past two years.


Results
Both establishing new social relationships and maintaining existing relationships during significant life events were associated with higher levels of well-being. As predicted, these associations were moderated by age. Establishing new social relationships was more strongly associated with mental health and life satisfaction in younger adults, whereas maintaining existing relationships was more strongly associated with subjective well-being, physical health, and loneliness in older adults.


Discussion
These findings provide valuable insights into the role of age in the change and stability of social relationships during significant life events.

How do changes in life expectancy and longevity affect life-span development? This paper argues that historical increases in life expectancy primarily have an impact on the later and less on the earlier parts of the life span. Increased life expectancy is both a challenge and an opportunity for positive development. A perspective is outlined according to which self-regulation is a key factor for successful aging. Assuming a compensatory relationship of social norms/expectations and self-regulation for developmental regulation, processes such as setting, pursuing, and disengaging from personal goals should be particularly important in old age, a life phase that is characterized by being less normatively structured than younger phases. This argument is elaborated in the domains of social relations, leisure, and work.

Abstract
Older employees are not only confronted with subtle negative stereotypes about cognitive decline, but they also tend to internalize these negative stereotypes (i.e., they agree with the idea that intellectual performance declines in old age and they feel affected by this decline). Previous research has shown that internalizing negative age stereotypes has detrimental effects on work-related outcomes. Little is known about how internalized negative stereotypes shape older employees' social emotions and social motivation. In the present research, we argue that older adults who internalize negative age stereotypes feel insecure about their belongingness in the workplace and this has negative motivational consequences. Four out of five studies and an aggregate analysis with a total of N = 1,306 older employees (age 50–76 years) supported this hypothesis. Internalized age stereotypes were negatively related to social approach motivation toward coworkers through reduced sense of belonging in the workplace and low positive affect. In addition, internalized age stereotypes were positively related to social avoidance motivation. Investigations of the causality of these relationships revealed mixed results. We discuss these findings from the perspective of socioemotional aging and the need to belong. In sum, the present research adds to knowledge on the role of internalized negative stereotypes for older employees' social lives and, potentially, their success in the work domain.

AbstractStigmatized individuals often feel threatened by negative stereotypes about their group. Previous research showed that concerns about being negatively stereotyped (i.e., social identity threat) have detrimental effects on performance in the stereotyped domain. Little research has focused on interpersonal consequences of negative stereotypes, despite their essential role for integration of stigmatized groups like immigrants. The current work examines the relations of social identity threat with sense of belonging and social approach motivation in immigrant university students, and the moderating effect of ethnic and national identity. Two studies with immigrant university students in Norway (total sample N = 252) showed that concerns about being negatively stereotyped at university were negatively associated with immigrant students' sense of belonging to university which in turn related to lower social approach motivation toward other students. Further, social approach motivation predicted students' behavioral intentions to approach social events. There was also first evidence for a moderating effect of ethnic and national identity on the relationship between social identity threat and sense of belonging. Practical implications for immigrants' societal and educational integration are discussed.

AbstractObjectivesDespite the centrality of people's approach goals (i.e., approach toward positive outcomes) and avoidance goals (i.e., avoidance of negative outcomes) in romantic relationships, little is known about the interdependence of approach and avoidance relationship goals between partners. Assuming that short-term, state-level goals accumulate into general goal tendencies, the present research tested whether partners' daily (i.e., state level) and aggregated daily (i.e., trait level) approach and avoidance goals are mutually predictive in the short term (after one day) and the long term (after 10–12 months). In addition, we explored whether goal interdependence unfolds differently across adulthood and in relationships of different duration.MethodApproach and avoidance goals were assessed daily on two 14-day measurement-burst occasions that were conducted 10–12 months apart. The sample consisted of N = 456 female–male couples (age: M = 33.6, SD = 13.8 years; relationship duration: M = 9.6, SD = 10.7 years).ResultsWe observed significant short- and long-term partner effects in the prediction of couple members' approach and avoidance goals. These partner effects were restricted to trait level and they did not emerge at the state level. Almost all effects were independent of age and relationship duration.DiscussionThe present research underscores the importance of disentangling state- and trait-level goal tendencies when investigating the interdependence of approach and avoidance goals within romantic relationships.