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Does Postformal Thinking Facilitate Recovery from Grief and Promote Well-Being During Bereavement in Widows?

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Does Postformal Thinking Facilitate Recovery from Grief and Promote Well-Being During Bereavement in Widows? California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 9-2001 Does Postformal Thinking Facilitate Recovery From Grief and Promote Well-Being During Bereavement In Widows? Sharon Lee Sanders Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Developmental Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Sanders, Sharon Lee, "Does Postformal Thinking Facilitate Recovery From Grief and Promote Well-Being During Bereavement In Widows?" (2001). Theses Digitization Project. 2295. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2295 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DOES POSTFORMAL THINKING FACILITATE RECOVERY FROM GRIEF AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING DURING BEREAVEMENT IN WIDOWS? AThesis Presented to the Faculty·of California State Unive:i::-sity, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Psychology: Life,-.Span Development by Sharon Lee Sanders September 2001 DOES POSTFORMAL THINKING FACILITATE RECOVERY FROM GRIEF AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING DURING BEREAVEMENT IN WIDOWS? A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Sharon Lee Sanders September 2001 Robert Ricco ABSTRACT Widows were assessed on four measures relating to recovery from bereavement: postformal thinking (measured as dialectical thinking), recovery from grief (measured as past feelings and present feelings), well-being (measured by three subscales: autonomy, environmental mastery, and positive relations with others), and age at time of participation. Eighty participants completed and returned questionnaires. It was hypothesized that age of the participant and the development of postformal thinking would predict higher scores on recovery from grief and well-being. Analysis was performed using a Structural Equation Model with a comparative fit index (CFI) of .98. Results showed that age and postformal thinking did not predict recovery from grief or higher well-being scores. In addition no correlation was found between later age and postformal thinking, although there was a correlation between scores on recovery from grief and scores on well-being. iii Several possible explanations for the non-significance of the study hypotheses are discussed. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am <:ieeply indebted to Dr. Joanna Worthley for giving of hex Va,l1.1able time and effort in helping me to coriduc.t this study and to complete this thesis. She steered me inproctuctive directib.nsr guided me th:rough the intricacies of a graduate leve.i,research m~steiful. job of ed:Lting my many · J;n addition, I. would like to a:nd delight in being mentored.by professor and loiely person~ I would .al~o like to thank br. J6die Ullman for· her enlightening help in designing my.analysis model. - . She gently, and.wfth great humor, helped me to navigate the paths of structural equation modeiing leavi11g me enormously gratified·to have learned so· : C ' much about this.elegant statistic. It has been a: great pleasure tci know and work with her. .. ' ., ' · Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Ri.cco ,for his in.sightf1.1i grasp · of the validity problems of I • , , , ~he first measure T cons.idered using for this study, I . His advice and suggestions were instrumental in \ . ' .· firecting the course of my study. V TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT . iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ···············•-················ V LIST OF TABLES ................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES . .. .. ·• . .. .. ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRbDUCTION Adult Cognition . .• . ·- . 1 The Nature of Postformal Thought .......... 2 Bereavement • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I! • •. • • • • • • 19 Well-Being . •· . .. -· . 22 Links Between Postformal Thinking, Well-Being, and Recovery from Grief . .. 24 Hypotheses . .. .. .. -• 27 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY Design, Subjects, Materials, Procedure, and Analysis . 2 9 CHAPTER THREE: RESULTS . 36 CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · 4 3 APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT . .. .. 49 APPENDIX B: DEMOGRAGHIC FORM . .-, . .. 52 fPPENDIX C: DEBRIEFING STATEMENT . 54 hPPENDIX D: SOCIAL PARADIGM BELIEF I INVENTORY (SPBI) .................. 56 I I I I vi APPENDIX E: THE TEXAS INVENTORY OF GRIEF 67 APPENDIX F: SCALES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING 72 REFERENCES . • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • • . • . • . • • . 8 9 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Means and Standard Deviations for Measured Variables 38 Table 2. Postformal Thinking and Age as Predictors of Recovery from Grief .............. 40 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Diagram of Structural Eq uation Model . 3 7 ix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Adult Cognition Cogniti~e-~hanges iri Adults \It.was Jong believed that few cognitive changes take .. ' ,- ,," ' , - ' place past young adulthood, 0th.er than well-'documented' declines (e.g., Balt~s, 1999; Cavanaugh, 1997, Schaie, 1994). However, jn the past twenty-five years, ,several geropsyc~ologists have proposed that the thinking of midlife adults may be different from younger adults, (e.g.; Blanchard-Fields, 1986; Cavanaugh, 1997; Kramer, 1983). If true, this might I . , . \help explain why older adults do less well than ~ounger adults ~hen performing on tests of formal l. Fperations; possibly the problem-solving strategies of ~ater Eidulthood are not a good match for problems lnvolving formal operaticins (Sinnott, 19~8). Whe~e there is evidence :!:or a cognitiv~ "shift", it seems to I •. occur exclusively in the life eras of mid-to-older 1dulthood. Could it be that .as·a person ages they can I ~evelop something entirely hew in their thinking I Ikills? I I 1 Recent work in cognitive aging recognizes this possibility and several theorists have sought to name and explain hypothesized transformations in adult thinking. New forms of adult logic have been called dialectical thinking (Kramer & Bacelar, 1994; Kramer, Kahlbaugh, & Goldston, 1992), reflective judgment (Kitchener & King, 1981), and, probably most popularly, postformal thinking (PFT), since it is seen as think~ng that transcends formal logic (Kramer, 1983; Labouvie-Vief, 1980). ' The Nature of Postformal Thought I Many cognitive lifespan developmentalists believe I ~hat mature adults continue to grow through stages of I ip_ogical • complexity• beyond Piaget's final stage of i Formal operations (Sinnott, 1994). Such cognitive i growthI seems to be prompted by life experience, I kspecially those experiences which challenge the adult lhinker to move beyond categoriSsj of opposition (e.g., I I true/false; right/wrong) in everyday problem solving. I I I I The problem-solving strategies which result from this I . ~hift are thought to be integrative, involving both I .' I I ~roblem "facts" and problem "feelings" -- the 2 affective, subjective components of individual perspective. Thus, postformal thinking (PFT) is contextual, and involves a synthesis of affect/logic, .tolerance for ambiguity~ and the generation of \multiple solutions to problems, Sinnott suggests that ,, . cognition in adulthood " ... has a tendency to tie 'things together, to give overall meaning to emotions and e_vents, to help find overall purpose in their feelings, lives, and deaths" (1998, p. 33). Postformal Thinking Compared to Formal Operations Piaget ( 197 0) considered formal oper'ations to be he goal of cognitive development; He suggested thai : orma1 operations, acquired during adolescence, I. bontinue to characterize adult thinking. What are I . •. I , , I .·. .. · formal operations? Four essential aspects of formal i . I . • ·· .. 0perat1ons are (1} taking a bypothetico-deductive I ..• ·• . approach to problem solving; (2) thinking in one iramework at -a. time; (3). having the goal of arr;i. ving ~ t one correct solution;• and . ( 4 i thinking that is • I . •·.. uncons:trained by real-world application. Formal 1 . - ' qpera:tion~ both ~hape and reflect the curricular I demand,s of western scl'loolirig. Fo.r e){ample, Cavanaugh (1997) says: 3 _ __ Fo~maT 6pe.tat:ioI1al thought ·~s a~med at ---:~:~:~~vi~-~e~~t;~it~•~n°~:~a:~1tii;-n°~:~t:::e~i!:~t~:-- - _ .a fee:J_ir1g Of :u:neasin'ess, -- anq people begin a- seare;h:- -for clarification. 'l',his 5i tuatiQh: ?an b~( obse:r:-vect · iti high school. classes when -student$ press- their --- _t:eacher to identify the_ right theory ( f.toin ·among ----__ _ severaJ.,. ;equally good -6nes') or the .tight way to view a' social issue such _a·s abortion).--_ (po 254} -The limit~d-- applicability Qf -formal operations ___ --- for adult probiern'"'solving nas led some.tesearche.ts to sug,gest 'that PFT, ---· vJith ,J ts -_;¥mphasis on con-textual ism; ··•b:::;:~::::~::::t:::dtvei opmenta{ .•. ·~rogre ss.iori •Of [orma:h:::r :::;::s .( :::fu:::nl ::3::s:::~:::::n:sp: .. f i6m . of re1a'tivistic,- ;hon~al:Jsolute .I]ature the'.' ., •' ... '· - .... ,., . ·- . -. .. -_- aris~~r varj_er-ir6~ $ituati,on to situation.. : E'd:stformal' thinkers believe 'that 'solutions ,Jop~oblemi m,istif ie<lli~tic, ·. anQ .thus cont~x~.r -\ : ' . -_ - - -. - - -eliant, ,td •bJ·-re~son~l?;te. -- )3e:eing- s6l~fi6n:s to'-- -- . ·. '·. ' -:···' .·' . .·· .. roblems as:relati~e-- can 1~~d :to-••-skeptici,sm, -~s ·one· ,..,,.·. neye; i)e Su~e:: if one is .tight or ~ron9 ~- -Despite - ------- • t _.a f, 'Perry showed:_ fn his J:97_0
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