Development of Personality in Adulthood and Old Age: Continuity and Change

1. Theme 9 Development of Personality in Adulthood

2. Do Our Personalities Change or Remain Stable During Adulthood and Old Age? • Models of features Continuity • Models of Discontinuity Development of “I” • Models of life histories

3. Models of Features • Kansas City Study (Neugarten) • Stability in lifestyle, attitudes and emotions • Persona’s dominance declines beginning at 50 years old • Theory of disconnection • Tendency towards androgyny • Strong paternal tendency in early adulthood (Gutman 1987) • Androginy depends on cultural factors

4. Modelos de rasgos • Baltimore Study (Costa & MacCrae) • High stability has been found in the big five personality traits: • Neuroticism (emotional instability) • Extroversion - Introversion • Conscientiousness • Openness to experience • Agreeableness

5. Emotional Instability and Age

6. Results of Studies Focused on Big Five Traits Transverse studies • Neuroticism • Extroversion • Openness to experience • Agreeableness • Conscientiousness Longitudinal Studies • = Neuroticism • = Extroversion • = Openness to experience • ? Agreeableness • ? Conscientiousness Relatedtolifeevents

7. Models of Development of “I” Models that emphasize goals and objectives as directing our behavior throughout life : • The “I” as essence: self-conception • The “I” as action: adaptation and self-regulation

8. The “I” as content: Self-Conception • Criteria: • Continuity • Discriminative Relevance • Biographical significance • Diverse Content • Many Dimensions The self conception does not worsen: Negative affect decreases, as does positive affect A Paradox of Aging? Posible “I”s Sense of Control Self-esteem

9. HedonicWellbeing, Happiness, and Age Stability in hedonicwellbeing; decline in eudaimonicwellbeing

10. “I” as a Process: Self-regulation and Adaptation • Processes which regulate personal resources decide life’s trajectory • Continuity and positive valuation of self-conception are possible

11. J. Brandtstädter and the Theory of the Action of Self • We look for coherence between our present self-conception and our goals • Two fundamental mechanisms: Assimilation and Accommodation Importance Perception of control Paliative significance

12. Development of “I” and Aging • Assimilation and accommodation during aging maintain levels of wellbeing • Assimilation declines with age • Accommodation augments with age

13. Assimilation, Accommodation and Continuity of “I” Throughout the Life Cycle • Strategies of Assimilation: • Compensative activities: External influences, alternative activities • Strategies of accommodation: • Change in the standards of comparison: • Changes in reference groups • Pessimistic vision of normal aging • Change in the vision of personal trajectory

14. Assimilation, Accommodation, Regulation of the Loss and Reorganization of Self-Conception • Strategies of Accommodation: • Reassessment of goals:Tamping of ideals Older people are more satisfied with their roles and activities than younger people. • Substitution of some goals for others More realistic goals Changes in the priorities of life domains: health and physical environment.

15. Assimilation, Accommodation, and Growth of “I” Model of stages: Erikson • Intimacy vs. Isolation (6th stage) 20-35 años Emotional compromise or the achievement of intimacy • Generative vs. Stationary (7th stage) 35-60 The search for transcendence Not limited to the adult years • Integrity vs. Desperation (8th stage) 60- Preparing to die, evaluating one’s life’s trajectory

16. Generativity and Age

17. Assimilation, Accommodation, and the Growth of “I” Gerotranscendence: • A quality that some people achieve in the last decades of their lives • Connected to concepts like interiority, wisdom, and integrity • Three Dimensions: • Cosmic Dimension • Dimension of Self • Social Dimension

18. Levinson’s Model of Stages • Empirical study of 40 middle aged men (The seasons of a Man’s Life, 1978) • Focus on mid-life crisis • Meticulous interviews about family life, work, meaningful relationships, compromises, etc. • Structure of life • Follow-up study with female subjects

19. Late Adult Transition: Age 60-65 Culminating life structure for middle adulthood: 55-60 Age 50 transition: 50-55 Entry life structure for middle adulthood 45-50 Era of late adulthood 60-? Era of late adulthood 60-? Mid-Life Transition: Age 40-45 Culminating life structure for early adulthood 33-40 Age 30 transition 26-23 Entry life structure for early adulthood 22-28 Culminating life structure for early adulthood 33-40 Age 30 transition 26-23 Entry life structure for early adulthood 22-28 Early Adult Transition: Age 17-22 Era of early adulthood 17-45 Levinson’s Model of Stages Changes in the structure of one’s life

20. Mid-Life Crisis • Occurs in many adults during some part of middle age • Can last 2-5 years • Involves changes in friends, family and work • Subjects display depressive and addictive symptoms; renewed focus on physical self

21. Models of LifeHistory • A person looks to narrate his own history in order to understand himself, those around him, and project himself into the future. • This process allows an individual to better grasp life’s events and the transitions that provoke changes in our persona; provides a sense of individuality. • It facilitates normative transitions • There is a tendency to maintain a positive life history

22. Models of LifeHistory • Provides support fundamental to our identity • Directive Function • Social Function

23. SomeConcepts • Reminiscence • Making memories of the past • Life Reflection • Source of growth • Not of daily life but decisive moments • Revision of life • Evaluative and therapeutic • Necessary?

24. Some Concepts • Continuity or Stability • Evolutionary Transitions • Turning Points • Chance Encounters (Bandura) • Beginning of the accentuation of psychological characteristics