Identity Flexibility During Adulthood

This volume seeks to explore the idea of identity as a flexible center of events around which aspects of the self and events in the outside world are organized. Historically, in much of the literature, identity was conceptualized as a somewhat fixed, unchanging construct. Scholars now have a greater awareness of more nuanced theories about identity and there is a greater willingness to accept that identity is not fixed, concrete, and permanent, but rather evolving and fluid. Although this volume discusses a wide variety of aspects of identity as it flexibly changes during adulthood in the face of numerous experiences, it is really addressing one key question. How adaptive and fluid is identity and how can we know ourselves as both continuing and changing? Exploring these ideas raises the importance of future research on adult identity. With a firm grounding in the historical and theoretical background of identity research, this volume begins by defining identity and the psychological “self” as a center around which the person’s behaviors and self-concepts revolve. The following chapters gather the wisdom of many writers who all accepted the challenge of talking about creating a flexible adult self and identity during adulthood. They come at this challenging question from many different perspectives using different tools. Some survey existing literature and theory, then summarize prior work in a meaningful way. Some discuss their own research; some reflect on personal experiences that have demanded a flexible identity. Also included in the coverage are discussions of methodology and validity issues for studies and scales of identity. With its dual focus on research and applied fields ranging across social and personality psychology, industrial/occupational psychology, cross-cultural psychology, mental health, existential issues, relationships, and demographic categories, Identity Flexibility During Adulthood: Perspectives on Adult Development is a fascinating and complex resource for psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, gerontologists, and all those interested in our changing identities.

Adult Development applies the concept of complex postformal thought in order to explore how certain cognitive processes support individuals' close relationships such that those relationships grow stronger and richer over time.

In this book Jan D. Sinnott synthesizes her 20 years of research on lifespan cognitive development to describe the growth of complex (or `postformal') thought in adults. She shows specifically how adults improve mentally over a lifetime and learn to think in more complex and wiser ways. Applications of postformal thought are demonstrated in such diverse areas as - family relations - adult education - personal identity - and spirituality. Chapters examine relations between postformal thought and pertinent variables such as age, health, memory, and vocabulary. Other sections deal with issues in humanistic psychology such as - guided imagery - mind - body medicine - and creative intentionality.

Helps students understand how culture impacts development in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Grounded in a global cultural perspective (within and outside of the US), this text enriches the discussion with historical context and an interdisciplinary approach, including studies from fields such as anthropology and sociology, in addition to the compelling psychological research on adolescent development. This book also takes into account the period of "emerging adulthood" (ages 18-25), a term coined by the author, and an area of study for which Arnett is a leading expert. Arnett continues the fifth edition with new and updated studies, both U.S. and international. With Pearson's MyDevelopmentLab Video Series and Powerpoints embedded with video, students can experience a true cross-cultural experience. A better teaching and learning experience This program will provide a better teaching and learning experience-- for you and your students. Here's how: Personalize Learning - The new MyDevelopmentLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. Improve Critical Thinking - Students learn to think critically about the influence of culture on development with pedagogical features such as Culture Focus boxes and Historical Focus boxes. Engage Students - Arnett engages students with cross cultural research and examples throughout. MyVirtualTeen, an interactive simulation, allows students to apply the concepts they are learning to their own "virtual teen." Explore Research - "Research Focus" provides students with a firm grasp of various research methods and helps them see the impact that methods can have on research findings. Support Instructors - This program provides instructors with unbeatable resources, including video embedded PowerPoints and the new MyDevelopmentLab that includes cross-cultural videos and MyVirtualTeen, an interactive simulation that allows you to raise a child from birth to age 18. An easy to use Instructor's Manual, a robust test bank, and an online test generator (MyTest) are also available. All of these materials may be packaged with the text upon request. Note: MyDevelopmentLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MyDevelopmentLab, please visit: www.mydevelopmentlab.com or you can purchase a ValuePack of the text + MyDevelopmentlab (at no additional cost): ValuePack ISBN-10: 0205911854/ ValuePack ISBN-13: 9780205911851. Click here for a short walkthrough video on MyVirtualTeen! http://www.youtube.com/playlist'list=PL51B144F17A36FF25&feature=plcp

Explore the common ground—and the important differences—between bisexuality and transgenderism! This book, guaranteed to provoke debate and discussion of sexuality and gender, is the first devoted exclusively to the relationship between transgenderism and bisexuality. Combining the work of scholars and activists, professional writers and lay people, Bisexuality and Transgenderism: InterSEXions of the Others proesents ideas, thoughts, feelings, and insights from a variety of contributors who are committed to understanding—and deepening our understanding of—gender and sexuality. You’ll find scholarly essays, narratives, poetry, and a revealing interview with four male-to-female transsexuals, two of whom are married to women who also participate in the discussion. In addition, the book includes insightful chapters by well-known advocates of transgenderism, including Jamison “James” Green, Coralee Drechsler, and Matthew Kailey. The editors of Bisexuality and Transgenderism: InterSEXions of the Others make the provocative but crucial claim that the larger queer community looks at “B” and “T” lives as mere “add-ons” to “L” and “G.” In this book they focus attention on bisexuality and transgenderism—moving the “margins” to center stage and exploring how sexuality, gender, desire, and intimacy are constructed and circulate in our society. The book’s inclusion of voices and scholarship from Eastern cultures challenges our understanding of sexuality and gender constructions all the more, giving this collection a global scope. Here is a sample of what Bisexuality and Transgenderism: InterSEXions of the Others examines: biphobia and transphobia within the United States’ gay and lesbian community the bi/trans and subversive aspects of the works and images of cultural icons Angelina Jolie and Sandra Bernhardt how bisexual and transgendered identities are socially constructed through relationships the false promise of pomosexual play—why the concepts of postmodern sexuality fail to rewrite the construction of gender why swingers who practice bisexual and transgender behavior are often disdained and marginalized by other GLBT people suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns of bisexual males and females, as well as transgender people Eastern perspectives on sexual/gender identities—with revealing chapters on gender identity in Japan and Indonesia

Identity is a construct strongly rooted and still predominantly studied in Western (or WEIRD; Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) contexts (e.g., North American and Western European). Only recently has there been more of a conscious effort to study identity in non-Western (or non-WEIRD) contexts. This edited volume investigates identity from primarily a non-Western perspective by studying non-Western contexts and non-Western, minority, or immigrant groups living in Western contexts. The contributions (a) examine different aspects of identity (e.g., personal identity, social identity, online identity) as either independent or interrelated constructs; (b) consider the associations of these constructs with aspects of intergroup relations, acculturative processes, and/or psychological well-being; (c) document the advancement in research on identity in underrepresented groups, contexts, and regions such as Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South America; and (d) evaluate different approaches to the study of identity and the implications thereof. This book is intended for cultural or cross-cultural academics, practitioners, educators, social workers, postgraduate students, undergraduate students, and scholars interested in studying identity. It provides insight into how identity in non-Western groups and contexts may both be informed by and may inform Western theoretical perspectives.

We live in an ever-changing social world, which constantly demands adjustment to our identities and actions. Advances in science, technology and medicine, political upheaval, and economic development are just some examples of social change that can impact upon how we live our lives, how we view ourselves and each other, and how we communicate. Three decades after its first appearance, identity process theory remains a vibrant and useful integrative framework in which identity, social action and social change can be collectively examined. This book presents some of the key developments in this area. In eighteen chapters by world-renowned social psychologists, the reader is introduced to the major social psychological debates about the construction and protection of identity in face of social change. Contributors address a wide range of contemporary topics - national identity, risk, prejudice, intractable conflict and ageing - which are examined from the perspective of identity process theory.

For the last 5 years I have been living with 94 adults. These 94 adults made up the sample of people in a study on adult development that Dale Dannefer and I began in 1980. This book represents my efforts to condense the almost 200 hours of tape-recorded material from the 94 adults into a form that captures at least some of the diversity and also some of the commonalities in their answers to the ques tion "Who am I?" My version of their answers is based on their reflections about themselves as family members, workers, and people with a goal in life. In arriv ing at the conclusion that adults attempt to see themselves as loved, competent, and good human beings, I believe that I have done justice to these people and their answers to my interview questions. Arriving at the point of being able to write about these 94 people's identities has not been an easy process. Countless attempts at numerically based rating systems were tried and discarded progressively, until finally I decided to read all the trans cripts in sequence, person by person rather than question by question. What I found when I approached them as total individuals was surprising to me. I found a vibrant theme of certainty and self-assuredness in their identities that flew in the face of my previous ideas about developmental change in adulthood.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. ​This handbook synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy. Topics featured in the Handbook include: The prenatal period and its effect on child obesity and metabolic outcomes. Pregnancy complications and their effect on women’s cardiovascular health. A multi-level approach for obesity prevention in children. Application of the LCHD framework to autism spectrum disorder. Socioeconomic disadvantage and its influence on health development across the lifespan. The importance of nutrition to optimal health development across the lifespan. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science; maternal and child health; social work; health economics; educational policy and politics; and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines in psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, and law.

Today’s institutions of higher education must continuously adapt to meet the evolving needs and expectations of each new generation of students. The LGBTQIA community’s presence in academia is significant and continues to grow. The individuals who identify with this community are four times more likely to attend higher education institutions away from home. However, a substantial proportion of these students remain unseen, with more than half avoiding exposure of their identity to faculty and staff, and in some cases even to their peers. LGBTQIA Students in Higher Education: Approaches to Student Identity and Policy is a comprehensive academic exploration of the intricate world of LGBTQIA students in higher education. This book sheds light on the multifaceted challenges and complexities that LGBTQIA students face, transcending the boundaries of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, ability, and socio-economic class.