Looking Back at Life and Its Influence on Subjective Well-Being

Lower levels of subjective well-being are associated with increased illness and death. Studies of elder morbidity and mortality increasingly have explored the link between social and psychological aspects of life to subjective well-being, and to health and disease. This paper presents a conceptual model of subjective well-being based on the process that people use to appraise their lives and on life task completion. Theories of social cognition inform the life appraisal process and provide a framework for interventions. Life review therapy is detailed as a social work intervention to enhance the subjective well-being of older adults.