Appearance Management in Korean Women Aged 60s Contributes to Ego Integrity and Quality of Life Beyond Youth
Ki Han Kwon, Heayoung LimAim
This study examined the relationship between appearance management motivation and quality of life in Korean women in their 60s and compared and analyzed the mediating effects of cognitive age identity and ego integrity.
Methods
An online cross‐sectional survey was conducted with 350 women aged 60–69 living in the Seoul metropolitan area of Korea. Appearance management motivation, cognitive age identity, ego integrity, and quality of life were measured using validated scales. The indirect effect was mediated using 5000 bootstrap samples using Hayes’ PROCESS model.
Results
Appearance management motivation had a direct positive effect on the quality of life ( β = 0.297, p < 0.001), and two related pathways were identified. First, appearance management motivation significantly reduced cognitive age identity ( β = −0.332, p < 0.001), and as cognitive age identity decreased, there was a tendency for the quality of life to increase ( β = −0.261, p < 0.001). Second, appearance management motivation contributed to increasing ego integrity ( β = 0.442, p < 0.001), and as ego integrity increased, the quality of life also significantly increased ( β = 0.253, p < 0.001). The mediating effect of ego integrity ( β = 0.112) was stronger than that of cognitive age identity ( β = 0.087).
Conclusion
In a society where appearance is important, appearance management suggests that it can be a psychological mechanism that goes beyond simply pursuing youthfulness and helps with self‐awareness, personal growth, and adaptation to the aging process. Appearance management that fosters self‐expression and personal capabilities can improve the quality of life of older people.