Investigated adult development of police officers compared to the development of subjects in Daniel Levinson's study. Interviews with 23 male police officers indicated that their lives generally corresponded to Levinson's theory. The nature of subjects' psychosocial stages was similar to Levinson's model for some age periods, but not all.…

Examined four large surveys to establish the existence of passages. Results indicated that age groups and their associated passages can be identified. The passages appear to progress with time, but are not stable across cultures. Suggests that the generational event theory provides a better model for explanation. (JAC)

Studied white and blue-collar men and women using a questionnaire seeking designation of the most suitable ages for various role transitions and age-related attributes. Comparisons with 1950s findings indicated loosening of the norms, but with continuing adherence to a prescriptive timetable and with persistent socioeconomic differences. Results…

A suicide potential scale is constructed that fits the Guttman scale criteria. The mean suicide potential scores of various age groups support the cohort model with the exception of individuals 75 and older, where it appears that maturation factors play an important role in explaining suicidal behavior. (Author)

The impact of early life events that take place under specific historical and societal circumstances on adult development have rarely been investigated in old age. We examined whether having started a family in young adulthood was related to the contents of possible selves generated by women aged 85 to 100+ in the Berlin Aging Study (N = 129; M…

Surveyed 928 older Bostonians and found a negative correlation between age and alcohol consumption among older adults. Retrospective data suggest that there are cohort or generational patterns of drinking behavior by older adults. Survey provides no insight into the historical factors which account for the differences in alcohol use. (Author/JAC)