Developmental Psychology

o Believed in 3 different intelligences  Analytic  Creative  Practical

• Expert Versus Novices o Experts: These are more experienced individuals who are intuitive and will typically rely on knowledge that has accrued o Novice: These are individuals that rely more on procedures 9.3 Psychosocial Development Erik Erikson believed that somewhere during the middle adulthood stage that individuals are placed in the Generativity vs Stagnation Phase. Usually during middle adulthood is where society recognizes individuals and categorizes them as being in the midlife period. During the phase of generativity vs stagnation, adults are attempting to be productive at their jobs and taking care of their children if they have any. When there is a notion of leaving something for future generations, there is the possibility of overriding that thought. Erikson believed that without having a feeling of generativity, adults will have an empty feeling, and that their life has not had any purpose, or stagnated. During middle adulthood, there are plenty of changes that occur. One of the main changes is that one must balance or even rebalance a career with a family (if necessary). Some may look at their marriage and decide if it is still worth being married and if everything is working out. Some may begin going through what others call a midlife crisis. Theorists Levinson and Erikson believed that middle adulthood was a trying stage of development and that there were so many rapid changes that it could lead an individual to experience crisis. One thing that seems to be consistent throughout life is personality. Researchers focused on personality studies have come up with the idea that there are 5 groups of traits that usually are the most stable. These are considered the “ Big Five .” Characteristics that are included in the Big Five are extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and being open to new ideas. Researchers note that there are two prominent chances to an individual’s personality. One change is that an individual will typically become more generative. Another change is that gender roles will become more malleable which allows the male and female genders explore other gender roles Research has been performed regarding personality types. This research has created three different types of classification. Let’s look at these below. • Type A : Type A individuals will usually be more aggressive, perfectionists, and will be driven in higher pressure situations. Usually type A personalities will experience higher stress. Higher stress may contribute to future issues with blood pressure. • Type B : Type B individuals are usually not as competitive and are typically calmer than those who are Type A personalities. • Type C : Type C individuals will usually keep negative emotions within them. Type C personalities are also at a higher risk for developing cancer later in life.

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