Social Usefulness

Abstract

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To clarify the construct of social usefulness by merging several influential theoretical perspectives on the findings of a qualitative investigation of late life prosociality. DESIGN AND METHODS: In-depth interviews with 20 older adults probed the meaning and psychological significance of the socially useful relationships they maintained with people and organizations. RESULTS: Based on identity theory, the thematic analysis yielded nine classes and more than 100 distinct properties of social usefulness. Self-determination theory was employed to organize and interpret the findings in relation to older adults' needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence. IMPLICATIONS: Also addressed are the study's implications for multidimensional measurement of social usefulness in future epidemiological and psychosocial studies.

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