12 institutionalized elderly men (those over 65 yr.) participated in an investigation to assess the influence of control on the self-esteem (feelings of self-worth) of the respondents. Langer's 1983 concept of perception of control guided the use of a modified pretest-posttest design. Analysis indicated that having input in decision-making process can enhance institutionalized elderly males' self-esteem and contribute toward improving their quality of life. Possibilities for extending and refining this research are addressed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaderI. M. (1983) Clothing. In HoffmanA. M.MorrisW. W.BaderI. M. (Eds.), Daily needs and interests of older people. Springfield, Il: Thomas. Pp. 205–218.
2.
BerkowitzM. V.WaxmanR.YaffeL. (1988) The effects of a resident self-help model on control, social involvement and self-esteem among the elderly. The Gerontologist, 28, 620–624.
3.
ButlerR. N. (1975) Why survive? Being old in America. Evanston, Il: Harper & Row.
4.
CampbellD. T.StanleyJ. C. (1963) Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. New York: Springer.
5.
ChowdharyU. (1988) Self-esteem, age identification, and media exposure of the elderly and its relationship to fashionability. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 7, 23–30.
6.
ChowdharyU. (1989) Clothing option: Self-esteem and institutionalized elderly. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Home Economics Association, Cincinnati, OH.
7.
EstesC. L.BinneyE. A. (1989) The biomedicalization of aging: Dangers and dilemmas. The Gerontologist, 29, 587–596.
8.
FriedsonE. (1970) Profession of medicine. New York: Dodd, Mead.
9.
HoflandB. F. (1988) Autonomy in long-term care: Background issues and a pragmatic response. The Gerontologist, 28(Suppl.), 3–9.
10.
HornM. H.GurelL. M. (1981) The second skin: An interdisciplinary study of clothing. Boston, Ma: Houghton Mifflin.
11.
KerrE. W. (1987) A guide to selecting a nursing home in Missouri. Columbia, Mo: Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging
12.
LangerE. J. (1983) The psychology of control. Beverly Hills, Ca: Sage.
13.
LangerE. J.RodinJ. (1976) The effect of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality arid Social Psychology, 34, 191–198.
14.
LawsonI. R. (1984) Humanistic geriatric care: A context of antithesis. In SpickerS. F.IngmanS. R. (Eds.), Vitalizing long-term care: The teaching nursing home and other perspectives. New York: Springer. Pp. 73–80.
15.
LymanK. A. (1989) Bringing the social back in: A critique of the biomedicalization of dementia. The Gerontologist, 29, 597–605.
16.
PensieroM.AdamsM. (1987) Dress and self-esteem. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 13, 10–17.
17.
RosenbergM. (1965) Society and adolescent self-image. Princeton, Nj: Princeton Univer. Press.
18.
RottenbergK. J.HamelJ. (1988) Social interaction and depression in elderly individuals. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 27, 305–317.
19.
SnedecorG. W.CochranW. G. (1967) Statistical methods. Ames, Ia: The Iowa State Press.
20.
WatkinsS. M. (1984) Clothing: The portable environment. Ames, Ia: The Iowa State Press.
