An Analysis of Lenore Ladinger

The concept of ageing can be understood as an inevitable part of the human

developmental process that lies along a continuum, and results because of the natural process of

growth and maturation (Millard & Rudd, 1988). We start ageing from the moment we are born

and continue to do so throughout our lives. While some people look forward to the new

experiences and challenges that come along with growing age, ageing brings with itself a whole

host of changes that can sometimes be difficult to cope with. In all cases, however, it is

important to understand ageing and the impact it can have on the physical and mental well-being.

With the advent of the technological age and advances made in the fields of science, health, and

medicine, the life expectancy of our generation has drastically increased, and it is no common

knowledge that the population of the world is ageing and living longer lives.

This ageing is associated with several changes which occur at the biological and social

level. Biological level changes include molecular and cellular deterioration which leads a

general decline in physical and mental capabilities, however, this decline is not always

associated with a person’s age is years and is not common to all individuals (World Health

Organization [WHO], 2018). Changes at the social level involve transitioning life phases and

adopting new roles, such as having to deal with parenthood, retirement, the death of friends, or

the shift from private housing to old age homes in the care of other people. Other factors such as

a person’s socioeconomic status, their gender, or their physical and social environment can have

a profound effect on their health, and the actions they take accordingly to maintain it.

Therefore, in light of all these developments and changes, it is important to understand

the ageing process and growth of the individual in their own personal context. The context in

which a person grows up in, and they how they learn to create meaning for themselves and the
world around them, has an impact on their health-related behaviors. For some individuals, the

many challenges and stress that they may face due to the ageing process can be detrimental for

their health and can lead them to adapt maladaptive behaviors and thoughts. In contrast, other

people embrace these changes, become resilient, and adopt positive strategies to overcome these

threats to their independence. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the

character of Lenore Ladinger which was presented in the movie “Something to Celebrate”, the

challenges she faced as a result of her advancing age, the strategies she adopted to overcome

these struggles, and the implications this might have on her health and survival in the future.

Lenore was around 85 years of age and was born into a wealthy fur merchant family in

Montreal. She appears to be an outgoing individual who is well integrated into her community,

as it is shown in the film that she is a known figure in the streets of Montreal and often engages

other people to strike up conversations with them, or to make new friends. Lenore was educated

and well-read as well, as is evident from her statement about woman suffrages and her

knowledge of its history.

She described herself as a nimble dancer in the early years of her life, and despite having

to use a cane to walk around extensively in her old age, she is shown to be physically active, she

described herself as a worker who used to work with speed, and does not struggle going around

the city or moving around in her own residence. Like most adults her age, Lenore faced several

challenges and several losses in her life, however, she did not let these challenges bring her

down. Over the passing years, her family wealth declined, she become a drop-out from society,

her physical capabilities declined, and she had to leave her passion for dancing. Moreover, she

did not have any husband or children. Even in the face of all these challenges, Lenore was still

able to maintain some sort of control over her life. The evidence for Lenore feeling in control of
her life despite her challenges come from a study conducted by Lachman and Weaver (1998)

who found that older adults feel they most control their marriage, their lives, and their health.

Chipperfield, Perry, and Stewart (2012) define perceived control or primary control as the

beliefs an agent has, or an individual has regarding the influence they have over one’s actions.

This perception of control is important because it helps us understand our own abilities and

understand what influence our beliefs and actions can have over a certain outcome. Lenore is

shown to have a high sense of perceived control, as she believed her giving out money to the

people in need will influence an outcome and create a difference in their lives.

The higher sense of perceived control Lenore displayed could stem from her upbringing

and the socio-economic status of her parents, as research suggests that there is a link between

perceived control and socio-economic status such that individuals with greater education or

income may perceive greater control in their lives (Robinson & Lachman, 2017). She also

displays perceived control by engaging other people in conversations, collecting newspaper

clippings and filing them, and walking around the city.

Primary is associated with achieving a goal, however, as adults grow older, it may

become increasingly difficult for them to engage in everyday activities due to declining physical

and mental capabilities, or to maintain adequate social relationships. This decline in capabilities,

and the belief that they are no longer able to control an outcome or engage in goals should result

in a decline in the perceptions of control they have. However, even in the face of uncontrollable

outcomes some adults are able to retain some feelings of control over their lives, which

Chipperfield et al. (2012a) referred to as the control paradox. To explain this phenomenon of the

control paradox, Chipperfield et al., (2012b) expanded on the concept of perceived control and

examined an overall psychological sense of control that exists within an individual when an
outcome is perceived as both influenceable and uninfluenceable, and when individuals feel they

can not exert control over some aspect of their lives.

When an individual feels they can not influence an outcome with their actions, it can be

detrimental to their mental health, which also has an impact on their physical health. To counter

these feelings of inability, the individual may shift their focus from perceived control to

maintaining secondary control in their lives, which Morling and Evered (2006) view as the

action of accepting circumstances and life situations as they are, and adjusting some aspects of

ourselves to cope with it. This concept of secondary control is fundamental to the theory of fit-

focused secondary control as proposed by Morling and Evered (2006).

The fit-focused theory posits that individuals strive to create a fit between themselves and

their environment, and it is achieved not only by accepting the existing realities of the situation

as they are, but also by adjusting one’s attitudes and beliefs to these changing realities and

changing one’s own cognitions to suit a more positive view. Secondary control in this sense is

highly adaptive and helps the individual cope with their life challenges.

In a similar concept presented by Rothbaum, Snyder, and Weisz (1982), when an

individual may feel a lack of primary control and they feel that they are unable to engage in

goals, such as when Lenore could no longer engage in the goal of dancing, people adopt a

secondary control strategy which they labelled as interpretive control. The concept of

interpretive secondary control asserts that individuals seek to search meaning and understanding

of events, and in the process of deriving meaning for the causes of these events, they learn to

accept them. This interpretive secondary control is similar to the fit-focused secondary control

model in that it involves the individual to accept their circumstances without changing them, and
by making sense of the world around them and the causes of events, they learn to adjust to these

changing situations.

When Lenore was describing her experience and memories of dancing and working at the

Ritz Carlton, she did not view her challenges such as stopping dancing or losing her job in a

negative light, but she accepted these situations which can be observed from her statement that

she did not tend to think of what she used to be, implying that she is not sad over these losses but

has accepted them. Moreover, she adjusted to these situations by working for her community or

collecting clippings from newspapers to show her friends. In adjusting to these situations, she

used secondary control strategies to adapt healthy cognitions, and maintain a more positive

outlook towards her challenges

In further search for the cause of events in our lives, according to the locus of control

theory, we attribute the causes of these events to either internal reasons, or to external reasons.

Thus, we may view outcomes as being influenced by internal factors such as one’s own traits or

actions, or to powerful others, such as chance or a higher being (Chipperfield et al., 2012a).

Expanding on this theory, Weiner (1985) suggested that we may measure these causes based on

three dimensions; locus of causality, stability, and controllability.

In his attributional theory of motivation, Weiner (1985) suggested that once an outcome

is experienced which can either be positive or negative, it causes the individual to search for

meaning for the cause of these events. In measuring the locus of causality, individuals may

attribute causes to either internal or external factors as suggested in the locus of control theory,

and this may lead to a variability in the individual’s sense of self-esteem. Moreover, individual

questions whether the causes of these outcomes are stable, and whether they are in the control of
the individual, and these cognitions about the causes lead to several emotions such as feeling

pride, anger, or hopefulness.

Lenore’s attributions for the causes of events in her life can be characterized as being

both external and internal. She attributed the causes of events in her life such as the decline of

her family’s wealth, and becoming a drop out, to external causes and occurring due to the

influence of powerful others for instance chance or luck and did not perceive these attributions

negatively. Moreover, Weiner (1985) suggested that external attributions for the cause of events,

whether negative or positive, do not influence feelings one has about themselves, and do not

affect self-esteem, which can be seen in the case of Lenore.

For her external attributions, Lenore saw the events as uncontrollable as she thought they

occurred due to the influence of powerful others, and there was nothing she could do to change

them. She, however, viewed her situation as unstable, as believed life has changing

circumstances, and thus did not think negatively of herself because of them.

Lenore made certain internal attributions as well, such as attributing her marriage

decision to her own choice, and a lack of effort to get married. For her internal attribution, she

viewed her decision of declining to marry as stable and persisting due to her physical narcissism,

and controllable by self, because the decision was made of her own accord. She felt discomfort

at the realization that she declined to marry because she was not to able to provide the other

individual with love or children. As theorized by Weiner (1985), controllable causes can make

the individual to feel guilty, which was evident from her discomfort. To lessen these feelings of

discomfort, Lenore employed the use of secondary control strategies.

In examining the link between secondary control and primary control, Heckhausen

(1997) found that for older adults, often primary goals are not achievable due a decline in health,
a decline in mental capabilities, or a change in social roles. However, some adults do not

become demotivated and they still try to complete obtainable goals. To achieve this, these adults

use strategies which Heckhausen (1997) described as compensatory primary control and

compensatory secondary control. The goal of compensatory primary control is to restore

functioning for goal-engagement, by either developing new actions to substitute for a lost skill,

or by using alternative resources. In contrast, compensatory secondary control serves two goals,

one is to protect the self against negative outcomes and reinterpreting the reality to protect one’s

emotions, much like the concept of fit-focused secondary control, and interpretive control

(Morling & Evered, 2006; Rothbaum et al., 1982). Secondly, through the use of compensatory

secondary control, the individual refrains from running after goals and lower their expectancies

to achieve the goals that are unachievable and outcomes that are influenceable, and instead focus

on the goals and aspects of life that are.

Lenore experienced several setbacks in terms of goal attainment as a result of her

advancing age, however, she did not let these difficulties demotivate her from other things that

might give her meaning or pleasure. Due to her advanced age, she did face some limited

restriction in strolling, however, she adapted a compensatory primary control strategy to

overcome this challenge and used a cane to help her in the goal of walking around the city.

Furthermore, Lenore was a part of several dance groups in her younger years, and generally

enjoyed dancing and socializing with others. Due to the biological and social transitions in her

life, she did not view her goal of dancing as obtainable any longer, and instead she adopted

compensatory secondary control strategies to overcome these challenges. Instead of dancing, she

walked around parks and engaged people in conversations, and made new friends. Moreover,

she used to collect clippings of newspapers to show to them. These actions by Lenore
demonstrate that she had accepted her limitations and adjusted herself accordingly to obtain the

goals that were desirable for her.

Although Lenore did not have a husband or any children, she compensated for her

caregiving roles by acting as a caregiver towards her community. She commented that she was

concerned with humanity at large and had made the world her child, and in doing so, adopted a

social caregiving role. According to identity theory (Krause & Shaw, 2000), a social role can be

as a position in a group for example, a mother, a wife, or a provider), whereas we form our

identities by self-evaluating our actions and beliefs that emerge from occupying particular roles.

Lenore had given away her last two dollars to a needy person and she gave another individual

money and a big bag of groceries. In doing so, Lenore displayed altruistic behavior and her role

in giving back to the community gave her a sense of identity and meaning to her life. In this

way, Lenore withdrew from the goal of being a mother and a wife, used compensatory strategies

to accept her situation and adjust to it.

The analysis of Lenore using the aforementioned concepts and theories helps us to

understand her character, and these findings have several implications for her health and

survival. She is a strong-willed and resilient individual who does not view her advancing age,

the loss of her family’s wealth, and the inability to meet certain goals in a negative way, and she

has learned to adapt to the challenges that come with the transitioning stages of life.

In general, feeling in control over one’s life gives a person satisfaction (Chipperfield et

al., 2012a; Morling & Evered, 2006; Rodin, 1986), and reduces the risks for developing

maladaptive behaviors and cognitions due to stressful events. Research that has been conducted

in this area has found that feeling in control over one’s life and outcomes can help people in

managing their emotions, and to help them adapt to significant life events or setbacks (Robinson
& Lachman, 2017). They further suggested that individuals who view their health as

controllable are likely to adopt and maintain health-promoting behavior. Therefore, in the case

of Lenore who displayed feelings of control over her life in general, was physically active, and

did not hold any negative cognitions regarding her advancing age, it is safe to assume that she

has perceived control over her health as well, and is likely to engage in behaviors that lead to,

and promote better well-being, physically and mentally.

Lenore used a self-environment fit strategy to increase her sense of control by acceptance

and adjustment, and research by Morling and Evered (2006) suggests that this fit may mediate

the relationship between secondary control and the ultimate feeling of perceived control which is

associated with goal engagement. A medication occurs when an independent variable causes a

mediating variable, which then causes a dependent variable (Mackinnon & Luecken, 2008). In

Lenore’s case, she adopted secondary control strategies to create a fit between her changing

environment and self, and this fit led her to re-evaluate her goals and making new one’s, such as

making new friends or collecting and filing newspaper clippings.

Lenore further displayed secondary control, and acceptance and adjustment through the

use of folk beliefs. In the film, Lenore makes several statements that display her knowledge and

use of folk wisdom, such as saying that she was one of the night people, or all the leaves are the

same on the tree and no true snowflakes are ever alike, like every leaf on every tree. From this

statement, it can be inferred that Lenore relates to other people in her community, and holds the

view that we are different people due to our overt or covert differences, however, there is an

element of similarity such that we are all human beings who come together through some similar

goal, beliefs, cultures, or traditions. Research has found that secondary control folk beliefs help
retain psychological sense of control, which reduces hospital admissions and reduced mortality

(Chipperfield et al, 2012b).

These folk beliefs influence the individual to accept and adjust to their environments,

which leads to feeling a sense of control in their lives, and this sense of control can help predict

health and survival outcomes. As Lenore was shown to use folk beliefs, it can be suggested that

she has a greater sense of control over her life and will maintain her health, which will result in

reduced hospital admission and clinical check-ups in contrast to other older adults who may

frequently require them.

In search for the cause of the negative events that did happen in her life, such as the

decline in her family’s wealth or becoming a drop-out, her attributions could be characterized as

both external (chance) and internal (controllable). A study conducted by Chipperfield, Hamm,

Hoppmann, Parker, and Perry (2019) found that the only attributions detrimental to physical

health and associated with greater risk of mortality were internal and uncontrollable. Since

Lenore’s attributions to negative events seem to be external, and she views the internal one’s as

uncontrollable, it can be assumed that her attributions are not detrimental to her well-being or

self-esteem and will not affect her health-seeking behaviors.

In the context of goal-engagement, Lenore used compensatory secondary control to

disengage from the goals of being a mother and a wife and adopted other primary goals and

utilized her efforts in collecting news paper clippings and socializing with people. The use of

frequent compensatory secondary control strategies is associated with better perceptions of

health, and fewer hospital admissions and shorter hospital stays (Chipperfield, Menec, & Perry,

1999; Chipperfield & Perry, 2006). Moreover, she also used compensatory secondary control to

adopt a social care giving role which was very important to her as it gave her meaning and
identity. Adopting such a role can have health benefits for Lenore, as research has found that

feelings of control over a single most significant role in the individual’s life has a significant

effect on longevity, even after controlling some known predictors or mortality, for example,

chronic illness and disability (Krause & Shaw, 2000).

In conclusion, a plethora of research literaute literature links sense of control to life

satisfaction (Chipperfield et al., 2012a; Morling & Evered, 2006; Rodin, 1986), and better health

outcomes (Chipperfield & Perry, 2006; Chipperfield et al, 2012b; Krause & Shaw, 2000;

Robinson & Lachman, 2017). Lenore’s use of secondary control strategies to find meaning in

her life, accept and adjust to her environment in spite of adversities, and considering alternative

goals suggests that she has developed a healthy mind-set to her ageing process, which has a

positive impact on her mental and physical well-being. According to the control value theory, if

an event is viewed as valuable and controllable, then the individual becomes motivated to engage

in it (Chipperfield, Hamm, Lang, Pekrun, & Perry, 2017). In the context of health, therefore, it

can be suggested that she will appraise her health as highly valuable and something in her control

and engage in health-related behavior to manage her well-being and retain her sense of control.

Lenore’s increased health-related behavior will thus correspond to fewer hospital admissions,

shorter hospital stays, and longevity in life.

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