ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews key theoretical perspectives on motivational changes that have important implications for late-life emotional functioning in general, and for late-life emotional functioning in intimate relationships in particular. Broader social networks tend to shrink as people age, relationships with spouses, family members, and close friends tend to grow closer and more satisfying well into late life. Few early aging theories viewed close relationships and emotion as important in late life, albeit with notable exceptions. The empirical studies often focused on motivational changes across the life span but also yielded insights to help understand emotional functioning in intimate relationships. It discusses socioemotional selectivity theory and related frameworks have inspired a rich body of empirical work on emotional changes across the life span. The achievement of long-term motivational goals is supported, in large part, by the engagement of more immediate emotional mechanisms. The chapter concludes with a discussion of directions for future research.
