Psychosocial development during the adult years: Age and cohort comparisons.

Abstract

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development throughout the life cycle has been called into question by previous research in which substantial evidence of ontogenetic change during the adult years has not been found. A partial sequential design was used to study personality development over a 10-year period. Data on the Inventory of Psychosocial Development were collected from a sample of college students in 1966 and again in 1976, when this same sample had become college alumni. Data from undergraduates were also collected in 1976. The results of the longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses were consistent with the existence of age-related changes. An interaction effect obtained in the time-lag analysis suggested that the increase in psychosocial maturity among males involved a process of ontogenetic development whereas that for females may have been a function of an historical trend. A persisting issue in the literature on personality development is whether adulthood is characterized by relative stability and continuity or by predictable ontogenetic change (Jones, 1958; Macfarlane, 1964; Neugarten, 1969; Schaie & Parham, 1976). In Erikson's (1963) theoretical rationale for personality changes during the adult years, psychosocial growth is viewed as a function of normative developmental crises occurring throughout the life cycle. These crises entail an interaction between individual maturational processes and culture-specific socialization demands. Although they follow no age-specific timetable, broad regularities in both sequence and timing of the crises may be anticipated because the imposition of socialization demands is usually based on age-related criteria. Personality change during adulthood is the result of the resolution of the The authors wish to express their appreciation to Anne Constantinople for making her data available to them. Requests for reprints should be sent to Susan K.