Subjective and chronological human age

Abstract

The role of chronological and subjective age in the analysis of mental development and behavior is compared. Subjective age of an individual is self-perception of his/her own age. There is a growing trend of decrease of subjective evaluation of one’s own age in those individuals who are over 23–25; this trend is especially pronounced in the elderly. Theoretical and empirical studies of the phenomenon of subjective age of an individual and the factors that determine and influence age identity are discussed. Based on the analysis of recent data and their own research the authors show the role of anchor and proximal components in the evaluation of subjective age and describe the dynamics of the phenomenon of subjective age in human ontogenesis, the relation of subjective age and representations of time perspective and psychological health as well as the subjective age effect on behavior regulation. Subjective age take central stage compared to chronological age as a key variable in human psychology studies.