Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T08:10:20.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Balanced Time Perspective in Adulthood: Well-being and Developmental Effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2013

Jeffrey Dean Webster  and
Xiaodong Ma
Jeffrey Dean Webster*
Affiliation:
Langara College
Xiaodong Ma*
Affiliation:
University of Houston–Clear Lake
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Jeffrey Dean Webster, M.Ed. Psychology Department Langara College 100 West 49th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z6 (jwebster@langara.bc.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article presents a study that directly replicated the recently developed Balanced Time Perspective Scale (BTPS; J.D. Webster, 2011) and included middle-aged and older adults. Participants included 90 younger, 69 middle-aged, and 69 older adults who completed the BTPS and a measure of life satisfaction and happiness. A factor analysis replicated original findings with separate subscales for a past orientation and a future orientation obtaining simple structure (alphas = .94 and .95 respectively). A balanced time perspective predicted higher scores on both measures of well-being replicating the original J.D. Webster (2011) findings. A chi-square analysis indicated, as predicted, that the percentage of younger adults tended to be higher in the future-focused category, and the percentage of older adults tended to be higher in the past-focused category. Implications of a balanced time perspective on mental health over the life course are discussed.

Résumé

Cet article présente une étude qui reproduit directement l’Échelle de perspective temporelle éqilibrée (EPTE), récemment développée, et comprenait des adultes d’âge moyen et plus âgés. Parmi les participants figuraient 90 jeunes, 69 d’âge moyen, et 69 adulte âgés qui ont complété le BPTS comme une mesure de la vie sur la base de la Perspective de temps equilibrée. Une analyse factorielle a répliqué les résultats initiaux avec sous-échelles distinctes pour l’orientation au passé et à l’avenir, avec l’obtention d’une structure simple (alpha = .94 e .95, respectivenment). Une perspective de temps equilibrée prédit des scores plus élevés sur les deux mesures du bien-être, reproduisant les constations originales de J. D. Webster (2011). Comme prévu, une analyse du chi-carré a indiqué que le pourcentage de jeunes adultes avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur l’avenir, et que les adultes plus âgés avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur le passé. Les implications d’une perspective temporelle équilibrée sur la santé mentale au cours de la vie sont discutées.

Keywords

agingfuture time perspectivemental healthmiddle-aged adultsolder adultsreminiscencevieillissmentperspective du temps futuresanté mentalepersonnes d’âge moyenaînésréminiscence
Type
Research Note / Note de recherche
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 433 - 442
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Boniwell, I. (2009). Perspectives on time. In Lopez, S. (Ed.), Handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.) (pp. 295–302). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Boniwell, I., Osin, E., Linley, P. A., & Ivanchencko, G. V. (2010). A question of balance: Time perspective and well-being in British and Russian samples. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(1), 24–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boniwell, I., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2004). Balancing time perspective in pursuit of optimal functioning. In Linley, P. A. & Joseph, S. (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice (pp. 165–178). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.Google Scholar
Carstensen, L. L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science, 312, 1913–1915.Google Scholar
Charles, S. T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2009). Socioemotional selectivity theory. In Reis, H. & Sprecher, S. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Relationships (pp. 1578–1581). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fry, P. S., & Debats, D. L. (2011). Cognitive beliefs and future time perspectives: Predictors of mortality and longevity. Journal of Aging Research, 2011, 1–13.Google Scholar
Hendricks, J. (2001). It’s about time. In McFadden, S. & Atchley, R. (Eds.), Aging and the meaning of time: A multidisciplinary exploration (pp. 33–92). New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.Google Scholar
Kazakina, E. (1999). Time perspective of older adults: Relationships to attachment style, psychological well-being and psychological distress. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Columbia University.Google Scholar
Kennedy, Q., Fung, H. H., & Carstensen, L. L. (2001). Aging, time estimation, and emotion. In McFadden, S. & Atchley, R. (Eds.), Aging and the meaning of time: A multidisciplinary exploration (pp. 93–138). New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Lang, F. R., & Carstensen, L. L. (2002). Time counts: Future time perspective, goals, and social relationships. Psychology and Aging, 17, 125–139.Google Scholar
Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969.Google Scholar
Mather, M., & Carstensen, L. L. (2005). Aging and motivated cognition: The positivity effect in attention and memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(10), 496–502.Google Scholar
McFadden, S. H., & Atchley, R. C. (2001). Preface. In McFadden, S. & Atchley, R. (Eds.), Aging and the meaning of time: A multidisciplinary exploration. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). The other end of the continuum: The costs of rumination. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 216–219.Google Scholar
Roediger, H. L. (2012). Psychology’s woes and a partial cure: The value of replication. Observer, 25(2), 346–357.Google Scholar
Schroots, J. J. F., & Birren, J. E. (1990). Concepts of time and aging in science. In Birren, J. E. & Warner Schaie, K. (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (3rd ed.) (pp. 45–64). New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Stolarski, M., Bitner, J., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2011). Time perspective, emotional intelligence and discounting of delayed rewards. Time & Society, 20, 346–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stones, M. J., Rattenbury, C., & Kozma, A. (1995). Group reminiscence: Evaluating short- and long-term effects. In Haight, B. K. & Webster, J. D. (Eds.), The art and science of reminiscing: Theory, research, methods, and applications (pp. 139–150). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.Google Scholar
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(4), 1–18.Google Scholar
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watt, L., & Wong, P. T. P. (1991). A new taxonomy of reminiscence and its therapeutic implications. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 16, 37–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, J. D. (1993). Construction and validation of the Reminiscence Functions Scale. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 48, 256–262.Google Scholar
Webster, J. D. (2011). A new measure of time perspective: Initial psychometric findings for the Balanced Time Perspective Scale (BTPS). Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 43(2), 111–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, J. D., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & Westerhof, G. J. (2010). Mapping the future of reminiscence: A conceptual guide for research and practice. Research on Aging, 32(4), 527–564.Google Scholar
Webster, J. D., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & Westerhof, G. J. (2011). Time to flourish: Temporal perspective and well-being across the lifespan. Poster presented at the 64th Annual Gerontological Society of America’s Scientific Meeting, Boston, 18–22 November.Google Scholar
Webster, J. D., & Gould, O. (2007). Reminiscence and vivid personal memories across adulthood. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64(2), 149–170.Google Scholar
Webster, J. D., & McCall, M. E. (1999). Reminiscence functions across adulthood: A replication and extension. Journal of Adult Development, 6(1), 73–85.Google Scholar
Zhang, J. W., Howell, R. T., & Stolarski, M. (2013). Comparing three methods to measure a balanced time perspective: The relationship between a balanced time perspective and subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 169–184.Google Scholar
Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. (1999). Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1271–1288.Google Scholar