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Goal disengagement and re-engagement are self-regulatory strategies theorized to help adults, particularly older adults, achieve well-being (Haase, Heckhausen, & Wrosch, 2012). Testing this, we examined whether ability to ‘let go’ of unattainable goals, at the same time as substituting new goals, would predict younger and older adults’ (N = 185) growth after challenging life events. Participants completed the Goal Engagement Scale (Wrosch et al., 2003) and orally narrated two challenging autobiographical events. Challenge-related growth was assessed two ways: the Post-traumatic Growth Scale (Cann et al., 2010) and content-analysis of redemption in narratives (McAdams, 1999). For post-traumatic growth, goal re-engagement predicted greater growth overall (β = .22, p < .05) but this varied by level of goal disengagement (β = .20, p < .05). That is, regardless of age, higher goal re-engagement was associated with greater growth (B = 0.38, t =2.42, p < .05) for those who were able to let go (i.e., high in goal disengagement) but not for those lower on disengagement (B = -.00, t = -.05, p = .98). For growth as narrated redemption, age played a role in interaction with goal disengagement (β = .21, p < .05): goal disengagement was related to greater redemptive narration for older adults (B = 0.14, t = 2.56, p < .05) but not younger adults’ (B = -.02, t = -0.47, p = .64). The ability to, and adaptiveness of, letting go in the face of challenge is discussed in relation to the life-span developmental framework of self-regulation.
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