LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

1. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

2. The Self, Identity, and Personality The Self Identity Personality

3. Self-Understanding Self — All characteristics of a person Self-understanding, self-esteem, self-concept Identity — who a person is, representing a synthesis of self-understanding Personality — enduring personal characteristics of individuals

4. Self-Understanding Cognitive representation of the self, substance of self conceptions Visual self-recognition tests infants Young children perceive self as external characteristics Older children recognize difference between inner and outer states

5. Self-Recognition in Infancy

6. Early Childhood Self-understanding Confusion of self, mind, and body Self-descriptions are physical, concrete, active, and unrealistic positive overestimations Understanding others Individual differences in social understanding linked to caregivers

7. Middle and Late Childhood Self-understanding: 5 key changes Internal characteristics emphasized More referencing in social descriptions More use of social comparisons Distinguish between real self and ideal self Realistic in self-evaluations Understanding others Increased perspective taking

8. The Role of Perspective-Taking Perspective-taking — ability to assume another’s perspective and understand his or her thoughts and feelings Important in children developing prosocial and antisocial attitudes and behaviors Affects peer status and quality of friendships

9. Self-Understanding in Adolescence Abstract and idealistic Self-conscious; preoccupied with self Contradictions within the self – multiple roles in different contexts realized Fluctuating self over time and situations Compare real and ideal selves Possible selves: what persons may be, would like to be, and are afraid of becoming Self-integration in sense of identity

10. Changes in Self-Understanding in Adulthood Self-Awareness Awareness of strengths and weaknesses Improves in young and middle adulthood Possible Selves Get fewer and more concrete with age Some revise throughout adulthood Life Review Some in middle age, common in older adults Evaluations of successes and failures

11. Self-Esteem and Self-Concept Self-esteem Global evaluative dimension of the self Same as self-worth or image Self-concept Domain-specific evaluations of the self Distinct - not really interchangeable

12. Issues with Self-Esteem Modest correlations link self-esteem and school performance; links vary between adult job performance and self-esteem Self-esteem related to perceived physical appearance across life-span Depression lowers high self-esteem

13. Issues with Self-Esteem Persons with high self-esteem Increased happiness Have greater initiative Prone to both prosocial and antisocial actions Undeserved high self-esteem Narcissism: self-centered, self-concerned Conceited Lack of awareness linked to adjustment problems

14. Self-Esteem in Childhood and Adolescence Accuracy of self-evaluations increases across the elementary school years Majority of adolescents have positive self-image cross-culturally Girls’ self-esteem is lower than boys’ by middle school years

15. Self-Esteem in Adulthood Some researchers find drops in self-esteem in late adulthood; others don’t Older adults with positive self-esteem May not see losses as negatively Decrease in knowledge-related goals Increase in emotion-related goals Compare themselves to other older adults

16. Self-Esteem Across the Lifespan

17. Increasing Self-Esteem Identify causes of low self-esteem Provide/seek emotional support and social approval Develop self-confidence and initiative Achieve Develop coping skills

18. Self-Regulation Ability to control one’s behavior without having to rely on others for help Includes self-generation and cognitive monitoring of thoughts Self-regulation linked to higher achievement and satisfaction over the lifespan

19. Self-Regulation in Infancy and Early Childhood

20. Self-Regulation in Middle/Late Childhood and Adolescence Self-regulation increases from about 5 or 6 years up to 7 or 8 years of age Across elementary school years, children increase beliefs that behavior is result of own effort and not luck From 8 to 14 years of age, children increase perception of self-responsibility for failure

21. Selective Optimization with Compensation Successful self-regulation in aging linked to Selection: reduction in performance Optimization: continue practice, use of technology Compensation: concealment; offsetting or counterbalancing a deficiency

22. Personal Control Primary control striving One’s efforts to change external world to fit needs and desires Attain personal goals, overcome obstacles Secondary control striving Targets one’s inner worlds: motivation, emotion, and mental representation

23. Changes In Primary and Secondary Control Strategies Across the Life Span

24. What is Identity? Self-portrait of many identities: Vocational/career Political Religious Relationship Achievement/intellectual

25. Erikson’s Ideas on Identity Identity versus identity confusion Adolescents examine who they are, what they are about, and where they are going in life Psychosocial moratorium Gap between childhood security and adult autonomy, part of adolescent identity exploration

26. Identity Statuses According to Marcia: Individuals go through periods of Crisis: exploring alternatives during identity development Commitment: individuals show personal investment in what they are going to do

27. Marcia’s Identity Statuses

28. Developmental Changes in Identity Status Young adolescents primarily in statuses of diffusion, foreclosure, or moratorium Important for achieving positive identity Confidence in parental support Established sense of industry Able to adopt self-reflective stance of future

29. Early Adolescence to Adulthood Most important changes occur ages 18 to 25 “MAMA” cycle: pattern for positive identity moratorium • achievement • moratorium • achievement Family influences on identity development Parenting style effects identity development

30. Early Adolescence to Adulthood Parenting styles Democratic foster identity achievement Autocratic foster identity foreclosure Permissive foster identity diffusion Search for balance is very important in adolescence

31. Family Influences

32. Ethnic Identity Erikson very sensitive to role of culture Ethnic minority groups struggle to blend into dominant culture and keep cultural identities Ethnic identity linked to HS achievement and lower aggression Higher self-esteem Predicting academic success Identity formation affected by college attendance

33. Trait Theories and the Big Five Factors of Personality Trait Theories Personality is broad dispositions or traits that tend to produce characteristic responses Big Five Factors of Personality theory Led to advancements in assessing personality Most believe personality is result of trait-situation interaction

34. Big Five Factors of Personality

35. Views On Adult Development Stage-Crisis View Levinson’s Seasons of a Man’s Life Stage and transitions occur in life span Tasks or crisis in each stage shape personality Levinson’s midlife crisis in 40s: try to cope with gap between past and future Vaillant’s Grant Study

36. Levinson’s Seasons of Life

37. Emotional Instability and Age

38. Age and Well-Being

39. The Life-Events Approach Now contemporary life-events approach; alternative to the stage approach How a life event influences individual’s development depends on: The life event Individual’s adaptation to the life event Life-stage context Sociohistorical context

40. Life Events Framework

41. Generativity versus Stagnation Seventh stage in Erikson’s life-span theory Generativity Encompasses adults’ desire to leave legacy to next generation Middle-aged adults develop in number of ways Stagnation Also self-absorption, develops when one senses s/he has done nothing for next generation

42. Changes In Generativity from the Thirties to the Fifties

43. Stability and Change Many longitudinal studies have found evidence for both change and stability in personality in adulthood Smith College Study Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore Study Berkley Longitudinal Studies Helson’s Mills College Study Vaillant’s studies

44. Stability and Change Cumulative Personality Model With time and age, people become more adept at interacting with environment in ways that promote stability Overall, personality is affected by Social contexts New experiences Sociohistorical changes

45. Links Between Characteristics at Age 50 and Health and Happiness at Ages 75-80

46. The End