L4 - Social and Personality Development Flashcards
Who developed the timing of events model for social and personality development?
Neugarten
What is the timing of events model for social and personality development?
Social and emotional responses depends on occurrence and timing of important life events
People have a social clock
(we have a personal schedule in our heads and if things dont happen by that time we suffer for it)
Describe Neugarten’s ‘Social Clock’ in the timing of events model.
What is it dependent on?
Social Clock: We have an idea of our head on when major life events should happen to us - if they dont happen within this time we suffer for it
It is personalised but also dependent on the cultural and historical period of what these timings should be
What happens to people if transitions occur too early or too late in comparison to their ‘social clock’
timing of events model
It becomes stressful
Lagging behind can increase frustration and lower self esteem
What are Normative-crisis models of social and personal development?
Development is based on a series of crises
Most people must deal with them if they are to grow successfully
normative = what is typical - most people at each age will experience the crisis
What are two normative-crisis models?
Erikson’s ‘Theory of psychosocial development’
Levinson’s ‘Theory of Change’
How many stages were in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development
8 stages - a 9th was added when he was older
What were crises dependent on in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development?
Crises involving transitions in important social relationships
There was a struggle between opposing tendencies that needed to be resolved.
e.g. there are two social forces competing - how you resolve the crisis is dependent on the person you become
What are the opposing tendencies in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development within
- young adulthood
- middle adulthood
- old age
young = intimacy vs isolation
middle = generativity vs stagnation
old = ego integrity vs despair
Describe the young adulthood crisis in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
Intimacy vs Isolation
Involves the meaning of relationship with others (how you are with other people)
Will insecurities and fears about losing independence lead to isolation and loneliness
If you lack an integrated conception of self, you cant commit to shared identity with another
How do you resolve the young adulthood crisis in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development?
Resolution: you develop empathy and openness
or
become manipulative
Describe the middle adulthood crisis (midlife) of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
Generativity vs Stagnation
Who you are in respect to other people in your community
Concern for welfare of future generations
Am I contributing successfully to community (generativity) or are you being selfish and not contributing (stagnation)
What happens if you fail to resolve the midlife crisis of generativity vs stangation in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
Life becomes meaningless and you become self-absorbed
Why is there a suggestion for gender differences within the generativity vs stagnation phase in our culture?
Women tend to struggle less because their roles lean towards more generative behaviour anyway (care of offspring, neighbourhood and community)
There is a big influx of women who return to workforce in midlife because they have experienced their generativity stage already
Describe the old age crisis in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
Integrity vs Despair
You need to accept who you are and the paths you have chosen and to decide what is left that you can do and what is available to you.
Do you have integrity or do you have despair - it is a life review to resolve conflict and find meaning
What happens if you fail to resolve the old age crisis in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
Failure to resolve integrity vs despair
Leads to bitter when older and many regrets
Life is too short and they didn’t do the things they wanted to
Who developed the seasons of adulthood theory of personal and social development?
Daniel Levinson
What type of theory is the seasons of adulthood theory of personal and social development
What does this mean
Stage Theory (theory of change)
There is a life structure - underlying design or pattern of persons life at any given time with alternating periods of stability and transition
What are the key components of the seasons of adulthood theory?
Relationship with Others
Personality
What are the 4 age groups within Levinson’s seasons of adulthood theory and what are their age transitions?
0-22 preadulthood
- *17-45 early adulhood**
- – Early adult transition 17-22 plus age 30*
45-60 middle adulthood
– Midlife transition 40-45 plus age 50
- *60+ late adulthood**
- – Late life transition 60-65*
How long are the transitions in Levinson’s seasons of adulthood theory?
5 year transitions
5 year transitions where you are finding yourself
What happens between each stage in Levinson’s seasons of adulthood theory?
It defines your personality
what you consider important, what are your plans, your dreams etc.
What are the 6 major life events involving in Levinson’s seasons of adulthood theory?
1. Age 20-24 leaving the family
2. 20s trying occupational and interpersonal roles
3. 30s to early 40s settling down
4. Age 35-39 roles well established
5. Early 40s –recognition of bodily decline
6. Mid 40s - restabilisation
Levinson and Erikson both focused on the midlife crisis
What did Levinson say about what men consider during their midlife crisis?
Reflect on achieving “Dream”
men start to see flickers of mortality and this makes them reflect on who they were and if they achieved what they wanted
Why don’t women have as bad a midlife crisis according to Levinson
They are more generative throughout their lives.
Rather than personality theories, what does the empirical evidence done by Costa and McCrae suggest regarding midlife crisis?
People don’t really have midlife crisis
Only about 5% show changes in personality at midlife (it is rare)
Does the clinical evidence suggest that people only have crisis in midlife?
No, people have crisis in personality throughout their lives
common in pop culture but not actuality
What are the main problems with stage theories?
They suggest that the phases are unidirectional and universal
It doesn’t take into account individual differences - also people revisit stages, also don’t develop linearly and not everyone goes through them
