Developmental Theories
Klaus Riegel’s Interpretation of Development AND Leonard Pearlin’s Theory of Psychological Distress - Dancing Divas
Leonard Pearlin’s Theory of Psychological Distress
Individuals can expect role changes (leaving school, starting work, getting married)
Agreed that early adulthood is a time for acting on dreams of adolescence however you can change the life structure at anytime
Four elements determines the path that individual lives will take:
The nature and timing of stress that requires response
The availability of social support networks
The range of skills individuals have for coping with stress or change
Individual characteristics like gender, race, intelligence, family background, personality, and education
Disagrees with stage theories
A lifetime of continuous changes in which individual might experience periods of stability
Klaus Riegel’s Interpretation of Development
Development occurs when a change in one dimension requires an adjustment in one or more of the other dimensions
However, if the individual fails to become financially independent, they may continue to live with parents, forgo marriage, and adjust their sense in their own maturity
Four interrelated internal and external dimensions of development:
The environmental dimension describes the physical, economics, and political environment in which the individual lives
The cultural sociological dimension describes the expectation and opportunities that each society defines for individual
The individual biological dimensions describes physical and sexual maturity
The individual psychological dimension describes emotional maturity and independence, and the maturity of mental processes
Development in adulthood does not occur in predictable stages (internal biological clock and external social clock)
Daniel Levinson’s Theory of Seasons of Life - Sassy Sirens
Dream: individuals sense of self in the adult world and is the core of the life structure (occupational accomplishments, family, and community roles)
The Age 30 Transition: (age 28-33) re-evaluate the life structure that they formed in their early twenties to determine whether they are living out their dreams
Time to “get real”
Early Adulthood (age 22-28)
4 major task of this period:
Forming love relationships, marriage, and family
Forming an occupation
Forming mentor relationship
Forming a dream and giving it a place in the life structure
Time to build a structure of life (pattern or design of life)
Early adulthood: age 17-early 40s
Emphasizes changes in the attachment between adult child and parent.
Not necessarily physical separation (allow individual to participate in the adult world)
Early adult transition (17~22): prepare an adult life structure
The Family Life Cycle
Adult
This theory emphasizes the importance of change in response to a crisis
Parents must accept change in their children's relationships with others as well as the relationship between parents and child (
3 tasks / stages must be mastered to become a self-sufficient adult
Stage 3
Must take a tentative commitment to a career or workplace
Stage 2
To acquire necessary social and emotional support
Develop new intimate relationships outside of family of origin
Stage 1
Separate emotional identity from the family of origin
Choose what to take with them & leave behind
Individuation
Three developmental tasks must be mastered to accept emotional responsibility for themselves
Early adulthood is a stage in which individuals are launched from their famillies of origin
Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Life
Adulthood
Generativity vs stagnation → struggle / decide how to impact society
Some acquire by having children, some acquire this by doing “great works”
By doing so, you acquire the strength of caring
Early Adulthood
Erikson believed that women may develop identity and intimacy simultaneously (Gilligan mentions that women had the ability to determine who they are during their relationships while men had to develop their identity first.
True intimacy is based on the ability to trust and share your truth with others, in doing so, you must have a clear sense of who you are (identity, which is formed in the earlier stage)
Intimacy vs isolation
Adolescence/Early Adulthood
In result, they acquire the basic strength of fidelity
Identity vs role confusion → faces many decisions at this time in their lives
Jane Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development
Similar to Erikson’s theory, one must have a clear sense of themselves in order to form intimate relationships
Young Adults
Able to appreciate others as individuals in reciprocal relationships
They begin to understand and accept individual differences
The transitional self-aware level between the conformist stage and conscientious ways
The final development makes one as an autonomous self (self-reliant person who accepts oneself and others as multi-faceted & unique)
Ego development starts from infancy
Identifies ten stages of ego (understanding of self) development to reach a higher level of development
