Personality & Aging“an entity of the sort you are referring to when you use the first person pronoun ‘I’ ” (Adams, 1954)

“what a person really is” (Allport, 1937)

... a distinctive pattern of behaviour, thought and emotion that characterizes each person’s response to life situations

• unconscious motives or overt behaviour? • questionnaires, projective tests, interview• Personality type = several characteristics

Continuity or Change?

Levels of Personality Structure/Function(McAdams, 1994)

(1) Dispositional Traits • consistent across contexts • continuum/degrees of the characteristic

(2) Personal Concerns• goals, life concerns, development, motivation

(3) Life Narrative• everything together, creation of identity

potential for growth (1) (3)

Dispositions & Trait ApproachPrinciples of Trait Approach

• comparisons of individuals• distinctive qualities / behaviours

• stable

• not necessarily specific behaviours• expression = trait x event• same trait, different behaviours

• global description

McCrae & Costa’s 5 Factor ModelNeuroticism: (a) hostility, anger, self-consciousness, depression emotions

(b) impulsiveness, vulnerability behav.

Extraversion: (a) warmth, gregariousness assertiveness interpersonal traits (b) activity, excitement seeking, positive emotions temperamental traits

Openness to Experience: ideas, fantasy, aesthetics actions, values

Agreeableness: quality of interpersonal interactions

Conscientiousness: degree of organisation, persistence, motivation in goal-directed behav.

Research Using the 5 Factor Model• traits stable over developmental course• main features built-in at birth• interaction of core potential and environment• great change from 5-13 yrs, settling from 21-31 yrs, stable from age 30!• similar findings in other studies, in other locations, by other researchers• traits don’t change but roles, behaviours and situations change with age• cohort differences: introversion, rigidity and inflexibility in older cohorts

BUT .. lots of things change after age 30!

Masculinity/Femininity• less differentiated in late life• men nurturing, expressive qualities• woman assertiveness, more dominant

Turning Inwardness controversial!• interiority w/ age - tendency to become more preoccupied w/ feelings, experiences, cognition BUT• stability of introversion-extraversion trait

Locus of Control

• mixed results: , , and stability w/ age

• may be dependent on variable examined

• internal LOC w/ intellectual functioning, health and personal development• institutionalisation - mixed results

• not ‘in control’ but ‘under control’

• internal LOC = psychological adjustment

• active passive mastery w/ age • at 40 - in control, at 60 - not in control

Problems/Concerns with Trait Approach• low test-retest items not included in inventory

• validity of self-report technique• person = set of scores ???• core/essential aspects of human nature?

• no causal explanations of behaviour

• ignores sociocultural context of development

Personal Concerns & Stage ApproachPersonal concerns• what people want at different times in life• strategies, defenses; not reducible to traits

Stage Theories • qualitative, upward progression thru stages• little empirical data, strong theoretical basis

Carl Jung• introversion increased w/ age • release of suppressed gender-related aspects

Erik Erikson’s 8 Stage of Man• interaction btwn inner maturational plan and external societal demands dialectical • epigenetic principle• stage = psychosocial crisis, 2 opposing forces

• resolution of crisis ego strengthened

• social world widens with each stage• defeated qualities don’t disappear, balance shifts • trust identity concern for next generation integrity

Erik Erikson’s 8 Stage of Man• trust vs. mistrust

• autonomy vs. shame

• initiative vs. guilt

• industry vs. inferiority

• identity vs. confusion

• intimacy vs. isolation

• generativity vs. stagnation

• integrity vs. despair

Expanding Notions on Generativity

5 Types of Generativity (Kotre, 1984)

• biological/parental• technical

• cultural

• agentic• communal

McAdams and colleagues• 7 components: demand, desire, concern, belief,

commitment, action, narration

• in young, middle-aged, older adults measured:• concern for welfare of future generations• commitment: typical strivings in daily life • generative actions or behaviours performed• narrations: autobiographical recollections

• concern, action: middle-age > older • commitment, narration: middle-age = older

Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development• 6 stages observed in adults:

• conformist• conscientious-conformist• conscientious • individualistic• autonomous• integrated

• more empirically based stage theory i.e., Sentence Completion Test • framework for examining relationship btwn cognitive development and ego development

Life Transitions: Levinson’s FrameworkLate adulthood

Childhood/Adoles. 17

Early adult transition 22Enter adult world

Age 30 transition

Settling down

28

40

33

Midlife transition 45

Enter mid-adulthd

Age 50 transition

Culmination of midadulthood

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55

Late adult transition65

Life Transitions: The Midlife Crisis• realisation of unfulfilled ambitions, worry re: relationships, limited prospects• devastating experience or positive transition• media hype research not very supportive• no strong evidence for this in women

• time of gains and losses

built on shakier ground do not occur to everyone, at specific ages

Life Narratives, Identity & The Self

McAdams’ Life Story ModelLife story = internalized narrative w/ beginning,

middle and anticipated ending• narrative tone: emotional feel• imagery: sights, sounds, symbols, metaphors • themes: patterns of motivational content• ideological settings: beliefs, values, ideology• nuclear episodes: key scenes• characters: idealizations of the self • ending: legacy

Whitbourne’s Identity TheoryLife-span construct = person’s life vs expectations

2 structural components:

(1) Scenario expectations about the future

• influenced by cultural norms

• create a social clock(2) Life Story personal narrative history that

coherently organizes past events• personal meaning, continuity

• distortions make it acceptable to oneself

Whitbourne’s Model of Identity Development

• sources of identity: family, work• transitions as needed, when needed

Identity

Experiences

Accommodation Assimilation

Self-Concept• organized, coherent, integrated patterns of self-perceptions

Labouvie-Vief et al. (1995)• assessed self-representations in 11-85 yr. olds

• spontaneous accounts of themselves

• < 20 yrs. undifferentiated representations• midlife highly differentiated • late life less differentiated

Mortimer et al. (1982)• 14 yr. study with male college freshmen

• 4 dimension of self-image:• well-being

• interpersonal qualities

• well-being• unconventionality

• as a group, stable structure of self-concept• some fluctuation along dimensions • intra-individually, related to life events

Possible Selves• ideas about different people we could become in the future

Cross & Markus (1991)• hoped-for selves:

• 18-20 family concerns • 25-39 personal issues• 40-59 family issues• 60-86 personal issues

• feared-selves: physical issues important • 2 young grps becoming unattractive

• 2 older grps fear of inability for self-care

Ryff (1991)• possible selves to define well-being

• 6 dimensions of well-being:• self-acceptance• positive relations with others • autonomy• environmental mastery• purpose in life• personal growth

• past, present, future and ideal self-perceptions of young, middle-age and older adults

Ryff (1991) cont’d ...

• young, middle-aged, more accepting of ideal and future selves than past or present• differences btwn ideal and present self-ratings diminish with age

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