Oliver Robinson: The changing dialectics of early adulthood: Updating Erikson for the 21st Century
Oliver Robinson, University of Greenwich, UK: The changing dialectics of early adulthood: Updating Erikson for the 21st Century
Skype-luento Ruusupuiston aulassa perjantaina 22.4. klo 13-14.
Summary of talk: Erikson’s stage theory of lifespan developmental was developed in the 1960s. For each of the stages in his model, he posited a dialectic – a pair of opposites that created a core developmental tension. He maintained that the task of the early adult is to settle down into a clear set of social bonds – relationship, family, career, or one would become socially isolated. He referred to this by the dialectic of intimacy – isolation. Cultural revolutions in the West since the 1960s have radically altered the landscape of early adulthood, and Erikson’s theory must be updated accordingly. Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood suggests that the stage of early adulthood should be separated out into two distinct stages, the first of which (emerging adulthood – ages 18 to 25) involves embracing independence, instability and exploration, and deferring major commitments. My research on early adult ‘quarter-life’ crisis has shown that there is now a normative crisis that occurs in the middle of early adulthood, typically just on the latter cusp of the emerging adulthood period. Such crises can take two forms; the locked-out form (feeling unable to enter adult roles) or the locked-in form (feeling trapped in adult roles). I will propose a change in vocabulary for the defining dialectic of early adulthood, away from Erikson’s intimacy – isolation, the tone of which clearly favours the former, towards the more balanced terms commitment – independence. Over the course of the first decade of adult life, most young adults switch from attaching more value to one (independence), to attaching more value to the opposite (commitment) as they navigate through the dialectic.
Oliver Robinson is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich and Vice President of the European Society for Research in Adult Development. He is author of the book Development through Adulthood: An Integrative Sourcebook, and of 30 articles/chapters on topics pertaining to adult development and ageing. His work on early adult crisis (also known as quarterlife crisis) has been reported by print and broadcast media in over 50 countries. He is a proponent of combining research methods to gain a broader perspective on psychological phenomena, including theoretical, qualitative, quantitative and case study methods, and has written broadly on questions of methodology and epistemology.
Skype-luento Ruusupuiston aulassa perjantaina 22.4. klo 13-14.
Summary of talk: Erikson’s stage theory of lifespan developmental was developed in the 1960s. For each of the stages in his model, he posited a dialectic – a pair of opposites that created a core developmental tension. He maintained that the task of the early adult is to settle down into a clear set of social bonds – relationship, family, career, or one would become socially isolated. He referred to this by the dialectic of intimacy – isolation. Cultural revolutions in the West since the 1960s have radically altered the landscape of early adulthood, and Erikson’s theory must be updated accordingly. Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood suggests that the stage of early adulthood should be separated out into two distinct stages, the first of which (emerging adulthood – ages 18 to 25) involves embracing independence, instability and exploration, and deferring major commitments. My research on early adult ‘quarter-life’ crisis has shown that there is now a normative crisis that occurs in the middle of early adulthood, typically just on the latter cusp of the emerging adulthood period. Such crises can take two forms; the locked-out form (feeling unable to enter adult roles) or the locked-in form (feeling trapped in adult roles). I will propose a change in vocabulary for the defining dialectic of early adulthood, away from Erikson’s intimacy – isolation, the tone of which clearly favours the former, towards the more balanced terms commitment – independence. Over the course of the first decade of adult life, most young adults switch from attaching more value to one (independence), to attaching more value to the opposite (commitment) as they navigate through the dialectic.
Oliver Robinson is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich and Vice President of the European Society for Research in Adult Development. He is author of the book Development through Adulthood: An Integrative Sourcebook, and of 30 articles/chapters on topics pertaining to adult development and ageing. His work on early adult crisis (also known as quarterlife crisis) has been reported by print and broadcast media in over 50 countries. He is a proponent of combining research methods to gain a broader perspective on psychological phenomena, including theoretical, qualitative, quantitative and case study methods, and has written broadly on questions of methodology and epistemology.