Abstract
Four-hundred-thirty-five elderly subjects were asked 45 questions which were thought germane to morale. Responses were cluster analyzed, and eight clusters were identified. Three clusters: Depression/Satisfaction, Equanimity, and Will to Live, fell within the domain of morale; three seemed to be more pertinent to attitudes than morale: Positive Age, Negative Age, and Social Alienation; and two represent areas which are correlated with, but conceptually distinct from, morale: Physical Health and Social Accessibility. Analyses of simple sum cluster scores on the three morale dimensions indicate that mental hospital inpatients, ex-patients, and community residents differ significantly, with community residents showing more satisfaction with their lives, more equanimity in their day to day transactions, and greater will to live.
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