The Journey Of Adulthood 5e Helen L Bee

The Journey Of Adulthood, 5/e Helen L. Bee & Barbara R. Bjorklund Chapter 2 Theories of Adult Development The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Conceptual Organization of Theories ● Developmental progress versus Developmental change ● Stage theories versus Non-stage theories The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Progress with Stages Erikon’s Theory of Identity Development Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Progress with Stages Erikon’s Theory of Identity Development ● The most influential theory on adult development. ● Psychosocial development continues over entire life span. ● Development follows a universal sequence. ● Successful identity development involves resolving eight crises or dilemmas. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Progress with Stages Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development ● Stages developed based on empirical study. ● Each builds on the one that precedes it. ● Rate and process of development across stages is variable. Impulsive stage Self-protective stage Conformist stage Self-aware stage Conscientious stage Individualistic stage Autonomous stage Integrated stage The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Progress without Stages Vaillant’s Theory of Adaptation to Life ● Accepts Erikson’s stages as the basic framework for development. ● Focuses on a direction of growth or development. ● Major form of adaptation is the defense mechanism, a set of strategies used to deal with anxiety. ● Developed the Defensive Functioning Scale (see Table 2. 3 on pages 42 -43). ● Focuses on the progress adults make towards higher levels of maturity. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Levinson’s Theory of Seasons of Adulthood Life-Course Theory: A Sociological Perspective The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Levinson’s Theory of Seasons of Adulthood ● Life structure, the underlying pattern or design of a person’s life at a given time. ● Key components of the life structure are relationships ● Alternating periods of stability and transition during which old life structure is reexamined, adjusted, or altered. ● Levinson believes that the sequence of eras is universal. ● He assumes change with age, but not development. ● Women experience the same stages as men, although the content of those stages differs. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Life-Course Theory: A Sociological Perspective ● Sequence of socially defined, age-graded events and individual roles. ● Based on study of the life cycle. ● Roles: position we fill in a social structure (e. g. , parent). ● Role strain occurs when a person’s own qualities or skills are a poor match for the demands of any one role. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Life-Course Theory: A Sociological Perspective Key Concepts of Life-Course Theory: Life trajectory Life transitions Turning point The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Life-Course Theory: A Sociological Perspective Elder identifies four primary principles of life-course theory: 1) Principle of historical times and places. 2) Principle of timing. 3) Principle of linked lives. 4) Principle constructionism. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change with Stages Life-Course Theory: A Sociological Perspective Contributions of life-course theory: ● Consideration of development beyond childhood ● Dynamic influences on development ● Influence of a changing society on individual life trajectories. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change Without Stages Baltes’ Life-Span Theory Selective Optimization with Compensation Pearlin’s Stress Process Framework The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change Without Stages Baltes’ Life-Span Theory ● Development = age-related change in adaptive capacity. ● Focused on ability to make positive changes in response to adversity. ● Overall architecture of life span development shown in figure 2. 3. 1. Evolutionary selection benefits for human genome decrease over the life span 2. There is an increase in need for culture as we get older because cultural resources make up for decrease in genetic protection and the effects of biological aging. 3. There is a decrease in the efficacy of culture with age. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change Without Stages Selective Optimization with Compensation: a life-span developmental theory that is based on Baltes’ architecture model. ● Selection involves choosing specific goals that are appropriate for the individual and the situation. ●Optimization is the acquisition, refinement, and maintenance of effective resources (e. g. , one’s health and physical abilities). ● Compensation is the functional response to the loss of some resource necessary in attaining the selected goals. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Theories of Developmental Change Without Stages Pearlin’s Stress Process Framework Stress process framework: 1) Stressors can be primary or secondary. Stress proliferation is the process of primary stress creating secondary stress. 2) Health outcome (both physical and psychological) is affected by stress. 3) Moderators are personal or social resources that buffer one from the effects of stress. This explains individual differences in health outcomes. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Additional Theoretical Complexities Additional dimensions relevant to the description of theories include: Universality versus diversity. ● Erikson, Loevinger, and Levinson all believe there is universality ● Pearlin and Vaillant focus on diversity of adult pathways. Internal versus external influences. ● Psychological theorists tend to posit that there are underlying, normative processes of aging. ● Sociological theorists more focused on external/contextual processes. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.