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Flexible and tenacious goal pursuit lead to improving well-being in an aging population: A ten year cohort study
Kelly, R. E., Wood, A., & Mansell, W
International Psychogeriatrics. 2013;25:16-24.
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Abstract
Tenacious goal pursuit, striving for goals despite obstacles, and flexible goal adjustment, changing and disengaging from goals when obstacles arise, have been related to well-being in older adults. However, the beneficial effects of flexibility may depend on how tenaciously individuals pursue goals, or vice versa. In an ageing sample (n = 5666), this study tested whether flexibility and tenacity interacted to predict changes in three indices of well-being over a ten-year period: symptoms of depression, hostility and physical ill-health. The interaction between tenacity and flexibility significantly and independently predicted well-being. Individuals who were high in both flexibility and tenacity experienced the lowest depression, hostility and ill-health symptoms. However, the impact of tenacity on changes in symptoms of ill-being was greater when flexibility was high, and the impact of flexibility on well-being was greater when tenacity was high. It is argued that tenacious goal pursuit is beneficial in combination with flexibility in goal adjustment, as individuals can enjoy the gains associated with goal pursuit without the detrimental effects of persevering in blocked courses of action.