Life Span Development and Vocational Psychology: Evolving Perspectives

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey L. Sterns ◽  
Yoshie Najai ◽  
Boin Chang
1996 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-395
Author(s):  
Terri Gullickson ◽  
Pamela Ramser

Author(s):  
Susanne Scheibe ◽  
Ute Kunzmann ◽  
Paul B. Baltes

In search for concepts that help understand how individuals strive for growth and perfection within the boundaries and constraints of human lives, we describe theory and research on the concepts of wisdom, or expert knowledge about human nature and the life course, and Sehnsucht (life longings), the recurring and strong desire for ideal (utopian), alternative states and expressions of life. Both represent relatively new concepts on the agenda of lifespan research, originating from an interest in identifying major topics of public and humanist discourse about the potentials and constraints of life-span development and finding ways to measure them with the methods of normative psychological science. Despite their complexity and multiple meanings, progress has been made in the theory-driven operationalization of wisdom and life longings, allowing new insights into their ontogenesis and role for positive development. Emerging research shows that wisdom and life longings do not directly promote a hedonic life orientation or happiness: neither the insight that life is incomplete (wisdom) nor the experience of this incompleteness (life longings) is compatible with feelings of unequivocal joy and pleasure. Yet, there is emerging evidence that they contribute to other aspects of positive development, emphasizing personal growth, meaning, and the aligning of one's own and other's well-being. We suggest that future research should focus on the links of wisdom and life longings with multiple developmental outcomes and the possible interplay of both concepts in promoting positive development.


Author(s):  
Michael W. Pratt ◽  
M. Kyle Matsuba ◽  
Heather L. Lawford ◽  
Feliciano Villar

This chapter addresses the development of generativity, Erikson’s conception of the midlife strength in his eight-stage model of personality development. Following Erikson, the authors define generativity as care for next generations and set it in the context of both personality theory and life span development. Specifically, the authors draw on the framework of McAdams that characterizes personality as composed of three sequentially developing levels: actions, goals/motives, and the narrative life story (a mature form of narrative that provides the self with a sense of meaning and identity). The authors then review research on generativity as expressed from adolescence to later adulthood, which indicates that it is a relevant construct across this entire period in a variety of life domains. They also consider factors influencing generativity levels, including family background and cultural variations. Throughout the chapter, the authors consider the connections of generativity to morality across different facets of personality and stages of the adult life span.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipankar Khanna

Indexing of data for Happiness, Sadness, Feeling Hurt and Heroism (Acting Creatively to create authentic happiness for others and oneself by practicing Moral and Ethical codes (Yama and Niyama).


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