Self-Standards in Late Adulthood. Perceived Health as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Self-Discrepancy and Affect

Four types of self-standards (ideal, ought, undesired, and forbidden selves) were analyzed in the context of self-assessed health of older adults. We focused on the relationships between self-discrepancies (perceived actualization of self-standards) and affect, as well as the content of self-descriptions of standards. Participants (116 Polish older adults) completed: Self Standards’ Measure (SSM), PANAS-X and 7 items from the WHOQOL-BREF. First, we found that self-assessed health moderates the effects of self-discrepancies on affect. The ideal and ought self-discrepancies predicted affect when health was assessed as good. Conversely, the undesired and forbidden self-discrepancies predicted affect when health was assessed as poor. Second, health-related content was more typical for the ideal than for the ought standards. Third, older adults who assessed their health better had fewer health-related standards. The results are discussed with reference to control theory of approach and avoidance.