TY - JOUR AB - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychosocial experiences of people living with dementia using a perceptual control theory (PCT) perspective.Design/methodology/approach Conceptual paper.Findings The paper suggests that people with dementia may control their perceptions by using four modes of control: control, automatic, passive observation and imagination.Research limitations/implications The paper highlights how a perceived sense of “too little” or “too much” control can create psychological and emotional distress, as people with dementia seek to respond to the changing contextual circumstances of their lives. However, more work needs to be done to develop specific PCT informed strategies that may serve the goal of helping people who are living with dementia to maximise their functioning and alleviate their distress.Originality/value The potential benefits of adopting a PCT perspective to understand the experiences of people living with dementia have only been explored in a relatively superficial way. This paper is a first attempt to develop a more considered analysis. VL - 17 IS - 4 SN - 1471-7794 DO - 10.1108/QAOA-03-2015-0013 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-03-2015-0013 AU - McEvoy Phil AU - Eden John AU - Morris Lydia AU - Mansell Warren PY - 2016 Y1 - 2016/01/01 TI - Dementia: towards a perceptual control theory perspective T2 - Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 229 EP - 238 Y2 - 2024/04/19 ER -