Socioemotional selectivity theory Socioemotional Selectivity
Laura L. Carstensen Stanford University
Derek M. Isaacowitz University of Pennsylvania
Susan T. Charles Stanford University
Why do people choose the friends they do and does this change as they get older? This article is focused on how the perception of time affects the way we select friends.
Socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that the approach of endings is leads to greater investment in emotionally close social partners and increased focus on emotion regulation in everyday life. When people think they have a lot of time, they are more likely to seek ‘knowledge’ / interesting social partners more than emotional partners because of the possible long-term benefits which have much more time to be realized. The authors believe that that time-limits on life provide the framework for individuals to select and prioritize goals. When time is limited, it is their short-term goals, such as social connectedness, social support, and emotional regulation that become the highest priority. When time is limited, people’s focus shifts from the future to the present. They seek out social partners with whom they experience close ties and emotional experience.
When people begin to realise that their life is limited in time, this seems to change make them view the social world in emotional terms, appreciation of close emotional ties, and efforts to manage the quality of emotional experience in day-to-day life.
Socioemotional selectivity theory is the idea that the perception of time plays a very important role in the selection and pursuit of social goals. According to the theory, there are two main social motives:
1) those related to the acquisition of knowledge
2) those related to the regulation of emotion
The link between time left in life and a person’s age means that there will be age-related differences in social goals. But there are also cases when the perception of time is can can affect social goals both in younger and older people when time constraints are imposed. The authors believe that time perception is integral to human motivation and suggest potential implications for social, developmental, cultural, cognitive, and clinical psychology.
People are always aware of time—not only of clock and calendar time, but of lifetime.
When we think about life, we inevitably assume the presence of an internal clock.
As people move through life they become increasingly aware that time is in some sense "running out." More social contacts feel trivial in contrast to the ever- deepening ties of existing close relationships. It becomes increasingly important to make the "right" choice, not to waste time on gradually diminishing future payoffs. Increasingly, emotionally meaningful goals are pursued.
Socioemotional selectivity theory addresses the role of time in predicting the goals that people pursue and the social partners they seek to fulfill them.
There are three ideas that support this theory;
1) That social interaction is core to survival
2) That humans engage in behaviors guided by the anticipated realization of goals
3) That because people can hold multiple—sometimes opposing— goals at the same time, people will act once they have selected their goals
Each day, our social goals compete with one another, and often emotional goals vie with knowledge-related ones. Seeking information, for example, may entail emotional risks. A scientist interested in critical feedback from a colleague may expect to feel disheartened by it but will ask for the feedback anyway.
When knowledge-related goals compete with goals involving the regulation of emotions, the relative importance of the two goals is weighed, and action is taken or not taken accordingly.
The main idea of Socioemotional selectivity theory is that the assessment of time plays a critical role in the ranking and execution of behaviors geared toward specific goals. It helps people balance their long- and short-term goals in order to adapt effectively to their particular circumstances.
A young boy talks to his older cousin about college, not because the information is relevant to him at the moment, but because it may become so at some point in the future. A student arriving for her first year at college wants to find a wide range of social partners. The young newlywed couple spends a lot of time trying to discover ways to solve problems in their relationship because solutions will allow them to avoid future conflicts. But when people are not concerned about the future, attention shifts to experiences occurring now. An elderly couple often decides to accept their relationship as it is, to appreciate what is good, and ignore what is troubling, rather than seek new solutions to problems.
Interest in an attractive stranger, although likely to involve both positive and negative emotions (e.g., happiness and anxiety), is acted on primarily because of future possibilities.
The potential emotional sati