Reviews theoretical and empirical developments in Erik Erikson's construct of generativity-stagnation. Presents a five-category model describing styles of resolving the issue using combinations of level of involvement or active concern for the growth of self and others; and level of inclusivity or scope of caregiving concern. Discusses model in…

Agrees with Levenson and Crumpler's critique of ontogenetic theories as overly stressing biological determinism. Disagrees with their proposal, in discussing sociogenic and liberative models, that social influences be confined to a weak determinism. Suggests that a problem for developmental theories is to understand ways of increasing individuals'…

Examines criticisms of existing models of adult development from both feminist and developmental psychologists. A model of women's adult self-definition is presented, based upon current research on women's adult experience. The model combines a dialectical approach, which considers the effects of social/historical factors, with a feminist…

Argues that the "ontogenetic" model of adult development theory is inappropriate because it treats as "natural" a subject that is social in character. Offers instead some essential elements of a "sociogenic" paradigm drawn from the accumulated body of sociological research and theory. (CMG)

Compares ontogenetic models, which stress development through a series of stages; sociogenic models, which stress the influence of social context on adult behavior; and liberative models. Liberative models do not treat adult development as entirely dependent on biological or social determinism, and do stress individuals' conscious efforts at…

When pioneering longitudinal studies of child development extended into adulthood, they generated issues that could not be addressed satisfactorily by available theories, including the recognition that individual lives are influenced by their ever-changing historical context and that human development concepts should apply to processes across the…

Discusses Erickson's and Maslow's empirically based formulations of healthy development. Through integration of their systems, six trends are derived: survival, growth, communication, recognition, mastery, and understanding. Trends relate to self-functions, interpersonal functioning, and task performance. Relates trends to three aspects of…

The residency is examined from the standpoint of adult developmental theory, and significant developmental tasks facing residents are described. Recommendations for management of common developmental conflicts occurring in residency are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A validation study of 30 married females and 30 married males was conducted on a theoretical model of stages in interpersonal development developed by Bar-Yam Hassan (Bar-Yam Hassan & Bar-Yam, 1987). According to the model, the five stages of adult interpersonal development are: (1) Social Relatedness versus Self-Insistence, or need for Approval;…

Described the adult development of 23 police officers. Found that subjects passed through a series of psychosocial stages and that stress and stress management were an important part of this process. Training and administrative implications are discussed. (JAC)

The past 15 years have brought a re-evaluation of women's adult development in light feminist thinking. However, many outdated assumptions in psychological theory remain comfortably ensconced; to challenge these ideas, some misrepresentations of women's experience are examined. The focus is on Erik Erikson's explanation of the second stage of…

This paper presents a model of cognitive development across the life span that is designed to integrate the diverse empirical evidence in the area of cognitive development in childhood and adulthood. Relevant research is reviewed in the relationships between performance and age, and the effects of training on performance. A model is then proposed…

Explores gender and ethnicity in relation to Marcia's (1980) model of identity development, based on the centrality of crisis and commitment in the formation of adult identity during the college years. Suggests that Marcia's model does not adequately account for the centrality of relationship to female development, nor the importance of…

Theories about adult development have been grouped into four models: biological, psychological, sociocultural, and integrative. Biological models (those that are concerned with how physical changes affect development) and psychological models (those that view development as either sequential--defined by life events-- or as a series of transitions…

The concept of age integrated learning (AIL) can be derived from Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Two emphases in his theory that are less well recognized than others are central to Erikson's theory and are the cornerstone of a rationale for AIL. The first is his emphasis on the interdependence of generations for optimal crisis…