STRATEGIES FOR GOAL-ACHIEVEMENT IN OLDER PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WELL-BEING

Studies related to well-being of older people have been carried out in the past with two type; of variables: those reflecting socioeconomic factors, and those referring to psychological and psycho-social variables. Since one of the important psychological variables goal-achievements strategies - can be different in older age, the relationships between strategy use in older people and their well-being are valuable to explore. In this research we used the model of goal-achievement strategies (selection, optimization and compensation) in elderly proposed by Baltes and Baltes (1990). The short version of the SOC questionnaire (Selection, Optimization and Compensation; Baltes et al., 1999), the Global happiness item and the Global satisfaction item as measures of two dimensions of subjective well-being were individually administered to 355 people 65-96 years old in Western Croatia. The results indicate that in goal-achievement, older people with higher level of well-being use more frequently strategies of optimization and compensation, while those with lower level of well-being use the strategy of selection more frequently.