Objective and Subjective Components of Successful Aging and Ego Integrity

Abstract: In the final stage of Erikson’s psychosocial theory, individuals confront the crisis of ego integrity versus despair. Ego integrity refers to a sense of wholeness, meaning, and acceptance of one’s life. This study examined the contribution of objective and subjective aspects of successful aging (SA) to the development of ego integrity among older adults, in accordance with the two-component model ( Pruchno et al. 2010 ) proposed, including the number of chronic conditions, functional ability, life satisfaction, and self-rated SA (both as a process and as an outcome). We conducted a prospective study with two timepoints. The data stem from 193 community-dwelling older adults aged 65+ years who participated in both phases of the study (117 women and 76 men; M = 73 years). At the first timepoint, we collected data on SA components; at the second timepoint, 18 months later, we obtained results on ego integrity as the outcome variable. The results showed that older men reported higher life satisfaction and fewer chronic conditions than women. Age was positively associated with the number of chronic conditions. Functional ability, life satisfaction, and self-rated SA were significantly positively correlated with ego integrity. We also observed a significant negative correlation between the number of chronic conditions and ego integrity. Regression analysis revealed that life satisfaction was the most significant predictor of ego integrity among the examined components of SA. The findings emphasize the importance of positive life evaluation in achieving ego integrity and indirectly suggest the relevance of interventions aimed at strengthening positive life review and life satisfaction in fostering ego integrity in old age.