Subjective aging and psychological well-being in older adults: a narrative review and multilevel framework integrating perceptual, behavioral, and sociocultural pathways

Abstract

As the global population ages, understanding the psychological determinants of well-being in later life has become an important public health priority. A growing body of evidence suggests that how older adults experience, interpret, and evaluate their own aging-the domain of subjective aging-shapes psychological well-being. However, this literature remains fragmented across social gerontology, health psychology, and cultural psychology, with limited integration of perceptual, behavioral, and sociocultural mechanisms. This narrative review synthesizes recent and foundational literature on subjective aging and proposes a multilevel framework linking subjective aging constructs to psychological well-being. The framework identifies three interacting pathways: a perceptual pathway involving stereotype embodiment, stereotype threat, meaning-making, and age-related self-representations; a behavioral pathway through which evaluative self-perceptions of aging and awareness of age-related change influence health behaviors, social engagement, and goal-directed action; and a sociocultural pathway through which ageism, cultural norms, intergenerational relations, and socioeconomic conditions shape subjective aging. Evidence indicates that positive self-perceptions of aging and related appraisals are associated with lower depressive symptoms, greater life satisfaction, reduced loneliness, and longer survival, whereas negative appraisals predict psychological distress and social withdrawal. Implications for intervention, policy, and future research are discussed.

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