socioemotional selectivity theory

(noun)

A life-span theory of motivation which maintains that as time horizons shrink, as they typically do with age, people become increasingly selective, investing greater resources in emotionally meaningful goals and activities.

Related Terms

Examples of socioemotional selectivity theory in the following topics:

  • Socioemotional Development in Late Adulthood

    • As we get older, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that our social support and friendships dwindle in number, but remain as close as, if not closer than, in our earlier years (Carstensen, 1992).
    • Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1969), who worked with the founders of hospice care, described in her theory of grief the process of an individual accepting their own death.

  • Socioemotional Development in Childhood

    • This is known as theory of mind.
    • When children develop theory of mind, they can recognize that others may have false beliefs (Dennett, 1987; Callaghan et al., 2005).
    • False-belief tasks are useful in determining a child’s acquisition of theory of mind.

  • Socioemotional Development in Adulthood

    • There are many theories about the social and emotional aspects of aging.
    • A lack of positive and meaningful relationships during adulthood can result in what Erikson termed the crisis of intimacy vs. isolation in his theory of psychosocial development.
    • Review the milestones and crises of socioemotional development in early and middle adulthood

  • Socioemotional Development in Adolescence

    • Different roles, behaviors, and ideologies must be tried out to select an identity, and adolescents continue to refine their sense of self as they relate to others.

  • Evolutionary Psychology

    • Evolutionary psychology seeks to understand human behavior as the result of psychological adaptation and natural selection.
    • Evolutionary psychology stems from Charles Darwin's theories of evolution, adaptation, and natural selection.
    • The brain's adaptive mechanisms have been shaped over time by natural and sexual selection.
    • Consistent with the theory of natural selection, evolutionary psychology sees organisms as often in conflict with others of their species, including mates and relatives.
    • Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection has been highly influential in the field of evolutionary psychology.

  • The Role of Attention in Memory

    • There are several theories to explain how certain information is selected to be encoded while other information is discarded.
    • For every frequency there exists a distinct nerve pathway; our attention selects which pathway is active and can thereby control which information is passed to the working memory.
    • Attenuation theory, a revision of the filter model, proposes that we attenuate (i.e., reduce) information that is less relevant but do not filter it out completely.
    • According to this theory, information with ignored frequencies can still be analyzed, but not as efficiently as information with relevant frequencies.
    • Attenuation theory differs from late-selection theory, which proposes that all information is analyzed first and judged important or unimportant later; however, this theory is less supported by research.

  • Theories of Multiple Intelligence

    • Theories of multiple intelligence contend that intelligence cannot be measured by a single factor.
    • Today, the most widely accepted theory of intelligence is the "three stratum theory," which recognizes that there are three different levels of intelligence, all governed by the top level, g, or general intelligence factor.
    • In 1986, Robert Sternberg proposed a Triarchic Theory of intelligence.
    • His theory organizes intelligence into three dimensions that work together: componential, experiential, and contextual.
    • Finally, the contextual dimension examines how individuals adapt to, shape, and select the external world around them.

  • Defining Personality

    • Personality has been studied for over 2000 years, beginning with Hippocrates in 370 BCE and spanning through modern theories such as the psychodynamic perspective and trait theory.
    • While this theory is no longer held to be true, it paved the way for further discoveries and insight into human personality.
    • Learning theories, such as behaviorism, regard an individuals' actions as ultimately being responses to external stimuli.
    • Humanistic theory argues that an individual's subjective free will is the most important determinant of behavior.
    • Related to this, evolutionary theories explore how variation in individual personalities variance may be rooted in natural selection.

  • Evolutionary Theory of Motivation

    • According to evolutionary theory, those who are the most fit are the most likely to survive, and eventually the population evolves in such a way that their traits manifest themselves across the population.
    • Thus, a new behavior develops by means of natural selection.
    • Optimization theory is related to evolutionary theory, and is concerned with assessing the success of a behavior.
    • Optimization theory states that individuals would be motivated to adopt strategies that allow them to consume the most energy (e.g., to maximize their food intake) while expending the least amount of energy (e.g., to minimize their exercise output).

  • The Challenges of Adulthood

    • These correspond to two of the last three stages in his theory of psychosocial development.
    • This crisis is about the risk of establishing close relationships with a select number of others; without them, an individual risks feeling isolated.
    • Similar to Erikson's theory of generativity vs. stagnation, a mid-life crisis usually occurs when a person starts to reflect on their own life, the time left in it, and what they have not yet accomplished in life.