This digest discusses demographic, technological and other factors influencing adult career development and describes new career services, assessment instruments, and interventions for adults. Problems with research in the area of adult career development are noted. (MCF)

Adult educators are recognizing that factors in the learning environment related to psychological, social, and cultural conditions exert a powerful influence on learners' growth and development. Current discussions on learning environments have broadened to include the need to confront issues of sexism and racism, interlocking systems of power and…

Because of the economic and cultural changes that are currently taking place in society and the workplace, many adults who had their career and personal lives planned to retirement are finding those plans no longer viable and are recognizing the need to readjust their career expectations. Many adults who had always viewed life as a linear,…

Popular misconceptions about creativity include the following: it is limited to a few unique individuals, it declines seriously with age, and it is associated with uniqueness or innovation. As the focus of creativity research has shifted from examination of the personality traits of creative individuals to examination of the social and…

The theory of transformative learning, the process of making meaning of one's experience, emerged from the work of Jack Mezirow and has been explored through numerous research studies and critiques over the last 20 years. The purpose of this monographic is to provide greater insight into the transformative learning theory. The paper begins with an…

Approaches to develop a new understanding of academic careers are discussed. For many faculty members, a key issue is how to adjust their understanding of an ideal career to contemporary reality. During the 1970s, almost all of the professoriate saw its standard of living decline, a decline that stabilized by the early 1980s. Job mobility is…

Changing careers during adulthood has been recognized only recently as a natural part of the development of adult life. A study estimated that 36 percent of all Americans are in some stage of the career transition process. Career changes are becoming increasingly common for women, for workers whose skills have become obsolete, for individuals…

The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the literature on adult development and to suggest how this information can be applied to the practice of adult education. The first section discusses the nature of adult development, its definition, and key concepts. Sequential patterns of change in adulthood are examined in section 2,…

This document is one of three monographs resulting from a three-year study of adult counseling programs and practices in the United States. The first section of this monograph describes issues and potential problems associated with four frequently-experienced adult life transitions, i.e., divorce, midlife career change, preretirement planning, and…

Theories and models of adult development over the life span provide one of the foundational pieces for gaining a clearer understandings of learning in adulthood. Only recently have adult educators spoken more forcefully about the lack of integrated research on adult women. The purpose of this monograph is to describe those missing female voices as…

A growing body of literature is questioning whether existing models of human development apply equally to men and women. Prevailing theories of human development have been criticized for being based on research with primarily male subjects of similar ethnic, racial, or class backgrounds. Some research supports the viewpoint that women have…

Changes in the composition of the work force and changing work values require new life span and career development models that account for individual, gender, and cultural differences in experience. Age/stage models form one school of thought in developmental theory. A major criticism of prevailing theories is that they are based on male…

Adult counseling is assuming increasing importance in counselor education and training. Most important is the developmental aspect of growth all through life, since adulthood is not a static period but can be as fraught with conflict and choice as childhood or adolescence. Outlines describe some important differences between young people and…

In an era of organizational restructuring and technological change, individuals can no longer plan on spending their entire working lives with one organization. Career paths are no longer a linear rise up the ladder. Adult career counselors deal with an extremely heterogeneous population who are at vastly different stages of life. Their clients'…

Changes in the composition and attitudes of the work force have resulted in increased interest by employers in formulating and implementing career development efforts for their employees. Surveys have revealed: companies believe that career development efforts enhance employee performance and improve utilization of talents; most organizations have…