Intention for self-change across the life span: Focusing on concern about self-change

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine intention for self-change across the life span using measures of self-esteem, frequency of self-reflection, and concern about self-change. We hypothesized that: (a) Intention for self-change decreases with age because of increased self-esteem, decreased self-reflection and concern about self-change, and (b) Associations among self-esteem, frequency of self-reflection, and intention for self-change are mediated by concern about self-change. Participants (N = 997; age range, 15 to 69 yrs) completed an internet survey. ANOVA results suggested that intention for self-change, concern about self-change, and frequency of selfreflection decreased with age, and that self-esteem scores increased with age. Simultaneous analysis of multiple age groups showed that for all groups of low self-esteem and frequent self-reflection promoted intention for selfchange and that there were significant mediating effects for concern about self-change. Therefore, these findings supported our research hypotheses.