Historical Changes in Control Beliefs 

A recent SOEP study of more than 42,000 respondents by a research team led by Theresa M. Entringer shows that younger birth cohorts in Germany are more likely to believe that they can influence their lives and maintain this sense of control into older age. While differences between genders and income groups have narrowed, disparities between people in East and West Germany have widened. Major life events such as unemployment or disability are associated with greater declines in control beliefs than they were in the past.

Entringer, Theresa M., Laura Buchinger, Jutta Heckhausen, Nilam Ram, and Denis Gerstorf. 2026. Historical Changes in Control Belief Trajectories. European Journal of Personality (online first). https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070261454669