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(Accepted 23 July 2002)
ABSTRACT. This study proposes that differentials in the determinants of life satisfaction can be used to test if the elderly have a new equilibrium. One's global life satisfaction is taken as an indicator for one's inner world and for the elderly, global life satisfaction is assumed to be not influenced by life domains which indicate drastic social changes, because they are supposed to be disengaged from social activities. On the other hand, global life satisfaction for other adults is affected by life domains indicating social changes, because they are still tightly involved with social activities. The differentials in the determinants of global life satisfaction thus indicate that the elderly have a new equilibrium. A national survey on Taiwanese living conditions conducted by the Ministry of Interior, the Republic of China, in 1998 is used to test the above hypotheses. The analytical results show that the elderly have perceived drastic social changes. Moreover, they do have an equilibrium that is different from the other two age groups.
KEY WORDS: disengagement theory, life domain, life satisfaction, social indicator
In the early 1960s, the disengagement theory postulated that human aging involves an inevitable severance of relationship with others and this process is beneficial to society and the individual (Cumming and Henry, 1960). This was soon challenged by the identity crisis theory whereby the leisure time acquired after retirement might be filled up with social activities, but dignity and self-confidence was not obtainable through leisure activities (Miller, 1965). At the same time, the activity theory regarded that life satisfaction decreased as activities decreased. This thus assumes that when changes occur, the typical response is to restore the previous equilibrium (Havighusrst, 1961). Later on, the continuity theory argued that when retirement is institutionalized or widely accepted, an identity crisis can be avoided. In other words, it assumes evolution and allows changes to be integrated into one's prior history without necessarily causing upheaval or disequilibrium (Atchley, 1971, 1987).
This paper proposes one analytical approach to test whether the elderly have a new equilibrium. One's global life satisfaction is taken here as an indicator of one's inner world. Differentials in the determinants of global life satisfaction for various lifecycle stages are used to indicate the changes in...