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Developmental psychology/Chapter 13/Personality Development in Adulthood

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Note that personality differs from temperament. Temperant is the "how" while personality is the "what".

Erikson's Theory

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The next sociocultural-based stages of Erikson's after identity vs role confusion are overlapping stages:

  • Intimacy vs. Isolation (6/8) - Adults, in order to avoid loneliness, want to share their lives with someone else.
  • Generativity vs. Stagnation (7/8) - Adults want to seek a purpose in someone else's life (care, employment) or they risk a sinkhole in their development.
  • Integrity vs. Despair (8/8) - Upon reflection, they are happy or sad with what they've left.

Both are social stages.

Maslow's Theory of Personality

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  • Humanism - Theory developed by Abraham Maslow who stated that stresses people's potential. His pyramid consisted of physiological needs (food, water, warmth), safety (shelter from severe weather), love (family), esteem (respect) and, ultimately, self-actualization (appreciating one's true potential). After these stages, they will only people respect others. Maslow argued everyone has the same basic needs through humanism. These levels must be accomplished one by one as omitting one level can lead to bad consequences (thieves are the way they are potential because they had no love as a child). Competitions where comparisons are at high go against humanism.

Trait Theories

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Other theories exist in an attempt to explain one's personality and its development.

The Big Five

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OCEAN
  • Openness: Imaginative and adventurous
  • Conscientiousness: Organized
  • Extroversion: Outgoing
  • Agreeableness: Kind
  • Neuroticism: Anxious, moody

Adults choose their occupations/fields based on their personality. For example, an artist may be who he is because he is high in openness. The opposites also exist for these levels: closed, careless, introverted, hard to please, and placid.

Change in Age

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  • "The general age trend is positive: People are affected by the norms of their community. Adults gradually become less neurotic and more conscientious."
  • Personality shifts take place in the extremes of life, not the middle.

Cultural Influence

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  • Culture shapes personality. For example, women were valued for infertility in the early 1900s but that dissipated.

In conclusion, "every theory recognizes both; all adults seek to love and to work in ways that fit their personality, culture, and gender.".

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