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 However, many outdated assumptions in psychological theory remain comfortably ensconced; to challenge these ideas, some misrepresentations of women's experience are examined.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…

Educational attainment is the most important variable mediating the transition to adulthood for both sexes. However, the relationship between educational attainment and the timing of entry into family roles differs for the two sexes. (Author/AM)

Developed and tested a causal model for degree of difficulty of the transition to parenthood using data collected from interviewing 54 White married couples whose first child was three to five months old. Found difficulty related to: parental responsibilities and restrictions, gratifications, and marital intimacy and stability. (Author/RC)

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…

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…

In this part of the Kansas City Study of Adult Life, educational implications of adult activities and goals were explored, with emphasis on effective living in middle life. Performance of adult developmental tasks and motivation toward effort in these areas were investigated. Criteria were offered for assessing high, medium, and low performance in…