Abstract
Participants in a 1984 Elderhostel Summer Session, whose ages ranged from 60 to 84 yr., volunteered to respond to the Life Satisfaction Index from the perspective of Self and Other. This Likert-type scale had six categories, each with a description of a source of meaning in life. For all participants, a one-way analysis of variance for Self ratings across the six categories yielded a significant F ratio. All comparisons between pairs from categories rated most important—Relationships, Health, Service—and least important—Belief, Growth, Life Work—were significant. There were only chance differences, however, among paired combinations within categories rated most or least important. A one-way analysis of variance for the 26 participants who rated all categories from the perspective of Other also yielded a significant F ratio. Results corresponded with earlier reports of Other ratings: the order of categories from highest to lowest was Relationships, Health, Service, Belief, Growth, Life Work.
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