The recent emergence of the life-span perspective in sociopsychological research has increased attention to the issue of stability versus change in adult personality and behavior. This study uses data on older men from the National Longitudinal Surveys and LISREL statistical procedures to investigate the structural invariance over time, the level stability, and normative stability of perceived personal control within subsamples of blacks and whites.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Andrisani, Paul
. 1978. "Internal-External Attitudes, Personal Initiative, and Labor Market Experience." Pp. 101-134 in Work Attitudes and Labor Market Experience: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Surveys, edited by Paul Andrisani. New York: Praeger.
2.
Bandura, Albert
. 1977. "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change."Psychological Review.84:191-215.
3.
Blalock, H. M.1970. "Estimating Measurement Error Using Multiple Indicators and Several Points in Time."American Sociological Review35:101-111.
4.
Bloom, K. L.1961. "Age and Self-Concept."American Journal of Psychiatry118:534-538.
5.
Bradley, R. H.
and R. Webb. 1976. "Age-Related Differences in Locus of Control Orientation in Three Behavioral Domains."Human Development19:49-56.
6.
Center for Human Resource Research
. 1979. National Longitudinal Surveys Handbook. Columbus: Ohio State University Center for Human Resource Research.
7.
Cooper, Joel
and George R. Goethals. 1981. "The Self-Concept and Old Age." Pp. 431-452 in Aging: Social Change, edited by S. Kiesler, J. Morgan, and K. Oppenheimer. New York: Academic Press.
8.
Duke, M. P.
, J. Shaheen, and S. Nowicki. 1974. "The Determination of Locus of Control in a Geriatric Population and a Subsequent Test of the Social Learning Model for Interpersonal Differences."Journal of Psychology86:277-285.
9.
Erickson, Erik H.1959. "Identity and the Life Cycle."Psychological Issues1 (Entire issue)
10.
Featherman, David L.1981. The Life-Span Perspective in Social Science Research. Manuscript commissioned by the Social Science Research Council for the National Science Foundation's Second Five-Year Outlook on Science and Technology, New York.
11.
Gecas, Viktor
. 1982. "The Self-Concept."Annual Review of Sociology8:1-33.
12.
Gecas, Viktor
and M. L. Schwalbe. 1983. "Beyond the Looking-Glass Self: Social Structure and Efficacy-Based Self-Esteem."Journal of Social Psychology Quarterly46:77-87.
13.
Gurin, P.
, G. Gurin, and B. Morrison. 1978. "Personal and Ideological Aspects of Internal and External Control."Social Psychology41:275-296.
14.
Heise, D. R.1971. "Separating Reliability and Stability in Test-Retest Correlation." Pp. 348-363 in Causal Models in the Social Sciences, edited by H. M. Blalock. Chicago: Aldine.
15.
Hess, A.
and H. L. Bradshaw. 1970. "Positiveness of Self-Concept and Ideal Self as a Function of Age."Journal of Genetic Psychology117:56-67.
16.
Jöreskog, Karl G.
and D. Sdrbom. 1979. Advances in Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Models. Cambridge, MA: Abt Books.
17.
Jöreskog, Karl G
. and D. Sorbom. 1981. LISREL: Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood. Uppsala, Sweden: University of Uppsala.
18.
Kausler, Donald H.1982. Experimental Psychology and Human Aging. New York: John Wiley.
19.
Kessler, R. C.
and D. F. Greenberg. 1981. Linear Panel Analysis. New York: Academic Press.
20.
Kohn, Melvin C.
and Crami Schooler. 1983. Work and Personality: An Inquiry into the Impact of Social Stratification. New Jersey: Ablex.
21.
Kuypers, Joseph A.1972. "Internal-External Locus of Control, Ego Functioning and Personality Characteristics; in Old Age."Gerontologist12:168-173.
22.
Lao, I.1974. "The Developmental Trend of Locus of Control."Personality and Social Psychology1:348-350.
23.
Mirowsky, J.
and C. Ross. 1980. "Minority Status, Ethnic Culture, and Distress: A Comparison of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans and Mexican Americans."American Journal of Sociology86:479-495.
24.
Monge, R. H.1975. "Structure of the Self-Concept from Adolescence Through Old Age."Experimental Aging Research1:218-291.
25.
Mortimer, Jeylan T.
, M. D. Finch, and D. Kumka. 1982. "Persistence and Change in Development: The Multidimensional Self-Concept." Pp. 263-313 in Life-Span Development and Behavior. Vol. 4, edited by Paul Baltes and O. G. Brim, Jr.New York: Academic Press.
26.
Nehrke, M. F.
1974. "Actual and Perceived Attitudes Toward Death and Self-Concept in Three-Generation Families." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society, Portland, Oregon.
27.
Nehrke, M. F.
, I. M. Hulicka, and J. B. Morganti. 1980. "Age Differences in Life Satisfaction, Locus of Control and Self-Concept."International Journal ofAging and Human Development11:25-33.
28.
Pierce, R. C.
and D. A. Chiriboga. 1979. "Dimensions of Adult Self-Concept."Journal of Gerontology34:80-85.
29.
Pitcher, Brian M.
and Sung Young Hong. 1986. "Older Men's Perceptions of Personal Control: The Effect of Health Status."Sociological Perspectives29:397-419.
30.
Rotter, Julian B
. 1966. "Generalized Expectancies for Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement."Psychological Monographs80:1-28.
31.
Ryckman, R. M.
and Malikosi, J.1975. "Relationship Between Locus of Control and Chronological Age."Psychological Reports36:567-568.
32.
Schaie, K. W.
and C. Hertzog. 1982. "Longitudinal Methods." Pp. 91-115 in Handbook of Developmental Psychology, edited by B. B. Wolman. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
33.
Schaie, K. Warner
and I. A. Parham. 1976. "Stability of Adult Personality Traits: Fact or Fable?"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology34:146-158.
34.
Schaie, K. Warner
and Sherry L. Willis. 1986. Adult Development and Aging. Boston: Little, Brown.
35.
Sobel, Emil F.1980. "Anxiety and Stress in Later Life." Pp. 317-328 in Handbook on Stress and Anxiety, edited by 1. Kutash and L. Schlesinger. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
36.
Sullivan, J. L.
and S. Feldman. 1979. Multiple Indicators. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
37.
Thomae, Hans
. 1980. "Personality and Adjustment to Aging." Pp. 285-309 in Handbook of Mental Health and Aging, edited by J. Eirren and R. B. Sloan. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
38.
Varghese, Raji
and Fred Medinger. 1979. "Fatalism in Response to Stress Among the Minority Aged." Pp. 96-116 in Ethnicity and Aging, edited by D. Gefland and A. Kutuck. New York: Springer.
39.
Watson, Wilbur H.1982. "Mental Health of the Minority Aged: Selected Correlates." Pp. 83-88 in Minority Aging, edited by R. C. Manuel. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
40.
Wheaton, Blair
. 1980. "The Sociogenesis of Psychological Disorder: An Attributional Theory."Journal of Health and Social Behavior21:100-124.
41.
Wheaton, Blair, B.Muthen, D. Alwin
, and G. Summers. 1977. "Assessing Reliability and Stability in Panel Models." Pp. 84-136 in Sociological Methodology, edited by D. R. Heise. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
