Which theory posits that people maintain balance in life by selecting goals, optimizing performance, and compensating for losses?

Which theory posits that people maintain balance in life by selecting goals, optimizing performance, and compensating for losses?

• A. Automatic Processing
• B. Creative Intelligence
• C. Practical Intelligence
• D. Selective Optimization with Compensation

Answer: (D)

Selective Optimization with Compensation explains how people stay balanced in life by choosing meaningful goals, sharpening their performance in those areas, and adapting to losses by using alternative strategies or supports. This model emphasizes three intertwined processes: selecting goals that are realistically attainable and personally important, investing effort and resources to improve how well one can achieve those goals, and compensating for any declines or obstacles by relying on tools, routines, or help from others. For example, someone might decide to focus on a few cherished activities (selection), practice and refine the skills needed for those activities (optimization), and use assistive devices or social support to continue participating despite sensory or physical changes (compensation). The other options don’t describe this particular adaptive framework: automatic processing refers to unconscious, effortless mental activities; creative intelligence and practical intelligence are parts of a broader theory about different kinds of problem-solving, not a model of maintaining life balance through goal management, performance optimization, and loss compensation.

Selective Optimization with Compensation explains how people stay balanced in life by choosing meaningful goals, sharpening their performance in those areas, and adapting to losses by using alternative strategies or supports. This model emphasizes three intertwined processes: selecting goals that are realistically attainable and personally important, investing effort and resources to improve how well one can achieve those goals, and compensating for any declines or obstacles by relying on tools, routines, or help from others. For example, someone might decide to focus on a few cherished activities (selection), practice and refine the skills needed for those activities (optimization), and use assistive devices or social support to continue participating despite sensory or physical changes (compensation). The other options don’t describe this particular adaptive framework: automatic processing refers to unconscious, effortless mental activities; creative intelligence and practical intelligence are parts of a broader theory about different kinds of problem-solving, not a model of maintaining life balance through goal management, performance optimization, and loss compensation.