Successful aging at work: an applied study of selection, optimization, and compensation through impression management

Abstract

Although many abilities basic to human performance appear to decrease with age, research has shown that job performance does not generally show comparable declines. Baltes and Baltes (1990) have proposed a model of successful aging involving Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC), that may help explain how individuals maintain important competencies despite age-related losses. In the present study, involving a total of 224 working adults ranging in age from 40 to 69 years, occupational measures of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation through impression management (Compensation-IM) were developed. The three measures were factorially distinct and reliable (Cronbach's alpha > .80). Moderated regression analyses indicated that: (1) the relationship between Selection and self-reported ability/performance maintenance increased with age (p < or = .05); and (2) the relationship between both Optimization and Compensation-IM and goal attainment (i.e., importance-weighted ability/performance maintenance) increased with age (p < or = .05). Results suggest that the SOC model of successful aging may be useful in explaining how older workers can maintain important job competencies. Correlational evidence also suggests, however, that characteristics of the job, workplace, and individual may mediate the initiation and effectiveness of SOC behaviors.