| Revista INFAD 2012 |
ISSN EDICIÓN EN PAPEL: 0214-9877 |
| Nº2, Vol. 1, pp. 119-132 | doi: en trámite |
 Ver PDF |
From youth to elderly experiences, attributions and future expectations
Lisete dos Santos Mendes Mónico. pp.119-132
Abstract
Introduction: Considering the analysis of the roles of religiosity and its impact on health, risk behaviors, and well-being as classic, research about the impact of religiosity on optimism in the elderly has been neglected. Indeed, in the ageing process religiosity has been shown to be associated with important benefits.
Aims: This research focuses on two age groups – youth and old age – and the impact they have on life satisfaction, attribution of personal successes or failures, and expectations regarding the future. We also wanted to compare the future expectations of both, as well as attitudes and religious and political values, in these two important and differing stages of life.
Method: The sample is composed by 609 Portuguese citizens, 250 elderly over 65 years old and 359 young students between 15 and 25 years old. All the participants answered to the Religious Beliefs in Life Situations Questionnaire (Mónico, 2010).
Conclusions: We found that the elderly showed moments of life in the past and in the present less favorable, although they reported less current family and love problems in comparison with young. The daily living differed from the young people due to higher scores in feelings of inner peace and caution, while lower in joy, optimism, happiness and facilities. Older people attributed their personal success significantly more to the personal help of God, while the failures to bad luck in life, lack of divine aid and injury caused by others. The greatest fears are related to death and the occurrence of fatal diseases. They showed lower future expectations concerning positive achievements, but also less willing to achieve these accomplishments.Keywords: elderly; youth; attributions; future expectations.
