While personality is relatively stable over time, it is also subject to change across the entire lifespan. On a macro-analytical level, empirical research has identified patterns of normative and differential development that are affected by biological and environmental factors, specific life events, and social role investments. On a…

The author describes gifted children who hide their giftedness to seek social acceptance and thereby achieve invulnerability, then presents the "Gifted and Talented Personality Pyramid" model, which consists of four facets: environment, behavior, relationships, and selfhood. (MC)

Two models of heterosexual identity development are discussed. The models were developed for different reasons and thus represent different ways of conceptualizing heterosexual identity development. The strengths and weaknesses of each model are presented and the two models are compared and contrasted. Apart from the models themselves, these two…

Adult Black identity change that took place within the context of the recent Black sociopolitical movement is the focus of this literature review. (Author/WI)

Uses the Cross model of Black identity development as a framework for discussion of the developmental stages of American-Indian identity: pre-encounter, encounter, immersion/emersion, and internalization. Discusses identity conflicts encountered in various scenarios related to biracial or bicultural status, adoptions, mixed-race families, parent…

This article builds on earlier conceptual models of identity development to propose a model of heterosexual identity development. A review of the existing literature on majority and minority group identity development, heterosexuality, and other relevant foundational literature is provided as a rationale for the proposed model. Based on an…

The authors stress the importance of parental behavior on the development of their children. They present a family communication system which involves procedures to help parents be more capable of rearing their children. Some research results are presented which show that parents undergoing training gained in confidence and became more accepting.…

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…

Evaluates the effects of expanding sex-role alternatives on the passage of American middle-class women through the Eriksonian model of identity achievement. Contrasts contemporary norms regarding appropriate feminine roles with the more constricted social expectations of Erikson's time. Discusses validity of Erikson's original model of female…

A literature review uncovered three themes on women's psychosocial development: diverse and nonlinear patterns, importance of intimacy and identity, and centrality of relationships and connectedness to others. The review assessed the applicability of existing developmental models to women and identified alternative designs and methods needed to…

A theoretical model was examined linking early adolescent interpersonal relatedness and self-definition, autonomous and controlled regulation, and negative and positive life events. Findings indicated that self-criticism predicted less positive events, whereas efficacy predicted more positive events. Effects were fully mediated by absence and…

Examines self-assessment as a personality structure that changes in its development as individuals mature. Explains prognosticative, actual (or correcting), and retrospective self-assessment. Develops a structural-dynamic explanatory model, characterizing self-assessment as a systemic formation. Relates self-evaluation to achievement, volitional…

This study drew on two approaches to identity formation, each postulating differing but complementary exploration components, in an effort to better understand the identity exploration process. Overall patterns of results revealed by hierarchical regression analyses were consistent with a process model of exploration and with the view that…

A review of the three articles on feminist identity development in this issue indicates that (a) the Feminist Identity Development Scale (FIDS) and the Feminist Identity Composite (FIC) perform similarly and acceptably in psychometric analyses, (b) no research has properly tested whether there are true stages of feminist identity development, and…

This paper presents a methodology for using the Benjamin Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) model in individual, couple and family therapy to describe relations among self-concept, early history and adult relationships. The SASB model of two-person social interactions defines behavioral opposites, complements, antidotes and…