Issues in Adult Development

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Issues in Adult Development
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Adult Development

• The works of Gould, Levinson, Vaillant,
  Erikson, Neugarten, Low-enthal and others, and
  the enormous popularity of Sheehy's Passages
  point to a growing body of theory on adult
  development which is already having an impact
  similar to the impact on public thought of the
  earlier work on "stages" of childhood and
  adolescence.

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Adult Life Cycle Assumptions (Vivian Rogers
McCoy)

• Life unfolds in sequence and in stages.
• Each stage is marked by a crisis, a turning
  point, a crucial period of both vulnerability and
  potential.
• At crisis points, progress or falling back
  occurs, but whichever happens, the future is
  substantially different.
• Each period has specific tasks to be engaged
  in when these are successfully engaged, we move
  on.

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• External (to us) marker events are constantly
  happening graduations, marriage, childbirth,
  divorce, jobs. Changes within those marker events
  are what make up a developmental stage.
• An adult's life involves both (a) membership in
  the culture jobs, class, family, society and
  (b) how his/her values, aspirations, goals are
  being met or frustrated by participation in the
  world.
• It is in the inner realm where crucial shifts
  of growth occur. How we feel about the marker
  events, whether we come to grips with them or
  avoid them, determines if we move on or stagnate.

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• Crises are predictable and growth-producing.
• Engaging change is scary, unsettling.
  Regression, accommodation, and integration of
  change usually characterize passage.
• For growth to occur, challenges need to be
  slightly greater than the individual's present
  coping skills so that he/she can stretch, yet not
  be overwhelmed and forced to retreat to safer
  ground.

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• As with the conceptions of child development,
  the conception of ages and stages of adults is
  only "true" for one-third of all adults at a
  particular age another one-third are ahead and
  one-third behind. But the sequence tends to occur
  on schedule.

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Transitions

• The more difficult transitions for most people
  appear to be (give or take two or three years)
• age 30 when youthful dreams have had to come
  to grips with reality (sometimes more difficult
  for women)'
• age 40 when each comes face to face with the
  fact that half of one's life is over (sometimes
  more difficult for men)
• age 50 concerns about life purpose (sometimes
  more difficult for women)
• age 60 facing retirement (sometimes more
  difficult for men)

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• Particular problems between spouses may be
  engendered at transition points when one is
  exacerbated or "out of sync" with the other's
  stage or crisis and misinterpreting the other's
  "strange" behavior.
• A passage, transition, crisis of "life course
  correction" is triggered by ordinary life events
  but even more by "off-timing" of unanticipated
  life events.
• Transitions are invitations for growth.

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Early Adulthood

• In early adulthood, according to Erikson, the
  issue is intimacy (relating to other people) vs.
  isolation.
• Ages 1822 Pulling Up Roots (Sheehy, Gould,
  Levinson and others)
• The transition from adolescence to adulthood
  leaving the family, establishing life on one's
  own.
• Continuing educational preparation, beginning
  work, handling peer relationships, establishing a
  separate "home," managing time and money.

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Early Adulthood

• Ages 2228 - Becoming Adult (Sheehy, Levinson,
  Gould and others)
• Reaching out trying out the "dream"
  establishing autonomy.
• Setting in motion life patterns selecting a
  mate beginning career ladder, establishing a
  family, becoming a parent.
• Finding a mentor, someone about 15 years older.
• Often characterized by doing what we feel we
  should.
• Characterized by feeling that we are different,
  special, that we can do anything.

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Early Adulthood

• Ages 2833 Catch-30 (Sheehy, Levinson, Gould
  and others)
• The age 30 transition characterized by second
  thoughts, a feeling of being too narrow and
  restricted with earlier choices of career,
  marriage, relationships. Identity concerns,
  especially for women.
• Characterized by a new vitality, and is often a
  time of change, turmoil and dissatisfaction.

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Early Adulthood

• Urges to broaden oneself, make new choices,
  alter or deepen commitments change jobs, buy a
  house, have a baby, get a divorce, etc.
  Family-career conflicts for women.
• Urge to do what one wants to do rather than
  follow the earlier "shoulds."
• Time of reappraisal, putting down roots,
  searching for personal values.

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