Current research on developmental aspects of aging
Peter G. Coleman, Ann O’Hanlon in Aging and Development, 2017
A major limitation of research on psychological change with age is the lack of longitudinal study. Most of the studies conducted in this field have been cross-sectional comparisons of groups of persons of differing ages. As we stressed in the previous chapter, by their very nature the age differences reported in these studies are open to explanation in terms of generational changes in attitudes as well as possibly reflecting genuine developmental changes with age. This limitation needs to be born in mind when considering the research findings reported in this chapter. However, more longitudinal studies are presently being conducted despite the extra demands they put on researchers and grant funding bodies. There is greater appreciation of the necessity for such long-term research commitment as only studies that follow the same people through their lives can provide the necessary depth of understanding into the processes of adult development.
Developmental Issues in Recovery
Jacqueline Wallen in Addiction in Human Development, 2014
Freud did not perceive adult development as continuing past the point where genital maturity was achieved. Erikson distinguished several further stages of adult development, however. The first he called generativity vs. self-absorption. A developmental task encountered by most, though not all, adults is parenthood. Parenthood requires that the individual be able to put aside her own needs sufficiently to nurture and care for a child. The way in which an individual was nurtured by her own parents may affect her ability to nurture her own child. Parenting provides the individual with an opportunity to care for and create something outside herself, to make a contribution to the world that will still be there even after she is gone. The alternative is a narcissistic focus on self, which Erikson conceives of as a kind of stagnation. It is not necessary for a person to have a child in order to resolve the developmental issues of this period. Any kind of altruistic or socially useful commitment can serve the same purpose in that it enables the individual to go beyond the self to make a larger contribution. Devotion to a career, for example, can allow for generativity, as can dedication to some hobby or philanthropic goal. Being a therapist or a substance abuse counselor or helping fellow alcoholics through Alcoholics Anonymous all can involve generativity.
Family Systems and Chronic Illness: A Typological Model
Froma Walsh, Carol Anderson in Chronic Disorders and the Family, 2014
Beyond their own significance, the three phases illuminate critical transition points linking each period. Apt descriptions in the adult development and family life cycle literature have clarified the importance of transition periods (Levinson, 1978; Carter & McGoldrick, 1980). It is the same for the transitions between developmental phases in the course of disease. This is a time of reevaluation of the appropriateness of the previous family life structure in the face of new illnessrelated developmental demands. Unfinished business from the previous phase can complicate or block movement through the transitions. Families or individuals can become permanently frozen in an adaptive structure that has outlived its utility (Penn, 1983). For example, the usefulness of pulling together in the crisis period can become a maladaptive and stifling prison for all family members in the chronic phase. Enmeshed families, because of their rigid and fused nature, would have difficulty negotiating this delicate transition. A family that is adept at handling the day-to-day practicalities of a longterm stable illness but limited in its skills in affective coping may encounter difficulty if its family member's disease becomes terminal. The relatively greater demand for affective coping skills in the terminal versus the chronic phase of an illness may create a crisis for a family navigating this transition.
‘A functioning addict is still a kid:’ qualitative study of emerging adults in residential treatment
Published in Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 2021
Kelly Lynn Clary, Douglas Cary Smith, Jacob Matthew Goffnett, Chung-Yi Chiu, Jordan P. Davis
Many studies have identified risk factors for substance use during emerging adulthood (Stone et al., 2012). However, few studies consider how aspects of development from ages 18–29 relate to substance use, especially among samples with severe substance use. Arnett (2000) articulated the most well-known theory of emerging adult development, arguing that it is a unique life stage which is distinct from both adolescence and adulthood. This theory is so influential that an Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) (2015) recommended that national surveys revise their age categories and report findings specifically for emerging adults. Subsequently, Arnett (2005) hypothesized how the defining developmental characteristics of emerging adults would positively predict substance use. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how 18–29 year olds receiving residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment view emerging adulthood.
Childfree by Choice
Published in Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 2019
Rebecca Harrington
Although it is taboo to express regret about having had a child or children (see Donath, 2015, 2017), one of the common tropes about people who forgo having children is that they will regret it as they age. Given Ashburn-Nardo’s (2017) findings, this begs the question of whether this belief is a way to punish or express moral outrage toward the voluntarily childfree. However, research, though limited, has not borne out the assumption that the childfree will later regret the decision (Allen and Wiles, 2013; DeLyser, 2012; see also Blackstone and Stewart, 2012). The findings of both DeLyser’s (2012) and Allen and Wiles’s (2013) studies challenge these cultural assumptions and stigma narratives. They also suggest that clinical theories of adult development—such as Erikson’s (1963) conceptualization of generativity—are outdated and must be extended to include nonnormative life paths, such as those that do not include reproduction and child rearing. There are innumerable ways people can be generative and create meaning.
COVID-19 lockdown: Impact on college students’ lives
Published in Journal of American College Health, 2023
Wendy C. Birmingham, Lori L. Wadsworth, Jane H. Lassetter, Tyler C. Graff, Evelyn Lauren, Man Hung
Attending college is uniquely designed for identity explorations that are an integral part of emerging adulthood.53 Students are exposed to introspection and personal growth regarding learning preferences, time management, and social inclinations.54 Additionally, college offers numerous possibilities for their future, including avenues for career and work, political ideologies, potential romantic partners, and mentorship from professors and professionals.55 College for emerging adults is more than simply vocational training; it is a key developmental contributor to the adults they will become. Major disruptions to this continuity and to students’ potential safety could have serious implications to emerging adult development. The COVID-19 outbreak, subsequent lock-down, relocation from campus, and movement to remote instruction, in the middle of a global health crisis could certainly be perceived as a major disruption, and, thus, not only impact students in the coming months but for years to come.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Adolescence
- Cataract
- Glaucoma
- Arthritis
- Senescence
- Ecological Systems Theory
- Individuation
- Meaning-Making
- Self-Reflection
- Sarcopenia