Lesson 5: Emotional Maturation and

An Individual's Ability to Change Over Time

Attention

On September 29, 2012, Ben Vereen performed at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine. Throughout his show he told stories of his early career in show business, his interactions with the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and especially Sammy Davis Jr.).

Visit Ben Vereen's Website

He also made fun of the changes that had occurred. He spoke about having a "record player", and recording songs to a "cassette", and even the early texting technology of "telegrams"!

Mr. Vereen has become a keeper of meaning (he was 66 years-old at this show). His show keeps very specific stories alive (sometimes even with the help of video including a video of him meeting Sammy Davis Jr. on the Michael Douglas Show!) Mr. Vereen contributes his stories to the world of art so that that world will not forget these important players.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify instances in which people portray the role of "Keeper of Meaning".
  • Discuss challenges that are faced by individuals with mental illness in accomplishing the "Adult Developmental Tasks".
  • Discuss life events that may transform negative life events into positive outcomes.
  • Identify the role that character and resilience play in successful aging
  • Identify personal stories of character and resilient change and adaptation

Reading

Read Chapter 11 Does a Person Change Over Time? in Vaillant

Teaching

Aging can mean many things. Some think of decay, things breaking down. Others think of seasonal changes, like with nature. Others think that aging can be a state of continued development, right up until the moment of an individual's death. Chapter 2 in Vaillant focuses on the last idea that we continue to develop during our entire lifetime.

Many of the early psychologists felt that children were simply small adults. Later, when they began to take notice of all the changes that occured during childhood, they assumed that this is where ALL the changes took place. Many of the most prominent psychologists felt that human development ended, at the latest, in early adulthood. It was only after WWII that we began to see an interest in what happens through adulthood and into old age. Through this exploration of the field of aging the field of gerontology was born.

Social Maturation

In his book Childhood and Society, Erikson chronicles his work with longitudinal case studies and cross-cultural observations and provided us with a model for understanding that development continues across the lifespan.

According to Erikson, adult development was comprised of 4 stages:

  • Identity vs. Identity Diffusion
  • Intimacy vs. Isolation
  • Generativity vs. Stagnation
  • Integrity vs. Despair

Vaillant modifies Erikson's work into Adult Developmental Tasks. These are:

  • Identity
  • Intimacy
  • Career Consolidation (social identity)
  • Generativity (guiding the next generation)
  • Keeper of Meaning (preservation of the past)
  • Integrity (acceptance of one's life)

Emotional Maturation

"A test of successful living, then, becomes learning to live with neither too much desire and adventure nor too much caution and self-care." (Vaillant, p. 61)

As we age we may begin to cope better with our lives and out emotions. Our dysfunctional coping mechanisms may include:

  • Projection
  • Passive aggression
  • Dissociation
  • Acting out
  • Fantasy

More functional tools may include:

  • Submlimation (turning a negative into a positive)
  • Humor
  • Altruism
  • Suppression (often seen as a negative, suppression postpones memories, and even according to Freud, was a "hallmark of maturity")

These are both morally superior and highly adaptive for successful living.

On p. 64 of Vaillant begins the story of Susan Wellcome. Devour this story! Consider the stories of strife and abuse that our clients have and remark how Susan changes over the years. The pain becomes a strength for her and she is transformed and engages life at a level that most of us would wish to emulate.

Individual's Ability to Change Over Time

The question of this lesson is do people really change...what factors might push YOU out of your comfort zone and into change?

This is a classic question in all of psychology! Do people really change? You might have heard that "Tigers don't change their stripes" or even, more correlated to this class, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks".

But are these axioms true?

In Developmental Psychology we study theories. Many of those theories present that a LOT of change happens in the early years and then not so much as we settle into adulthood. Erikson is one who stands aside from many of these theories and takes the chance that, YES, people do (or at least CAN) change throughout the lifespan.

Vaillant challenges us to think that much of what we think in terms of personality does not change much. However, SOMETHING seems to change over time. Character changes.

Character

Consider the example in Chapter 11 of the woman, who at age 40 and divorced from her 3rd abusive husband. Does she marry a 4th or decide to run a shelter for abused women? This decision point, the adaptation of life to life's lessons, is critical in identifying the ways in which people continue to change throughout their lives.

Resilience

Another personality factor that may not change over time is resilience. This is a peculiar aspect of the personality that has confounded psychology for years. Why is it that one person growing up in an abusive home suffers life-long debilitation while another, equally abused, seems to be able to thrive?

Though we may not understand resilience itself, we do know that resilient people can adapt to changes and situations better than non-resilient people. So, this adaptation is a way in which people encounter life-long change! Particularly if they are resilient!

You can also read the following chapter for additional learning: Common Stressors on Old Age and their Effects on Resilience: Lavretsky (2014) Ch 6 Resilience

From Lavretsky, H. (2014). Resilience and Aging : Research and Practice. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Assessment

Lesson 5 Discussion (online class only)

In this discussion I would like each of you to interview an older person in your life. Report how that person personifies the "Keeper of Meaning" role in your family, possibly even across a wider social circle. Reflect on the importance Adult Developmental Tasks play in our lives. What challenges to persons with mental illness face when trying to complete these "tasks"?

Lesson 5 Quiz

  1. Consider, in this instance, your own character and resilience. We all have some of it! What decision points have you faced during your life up until this point? What challenges have you faced and overcome? Your ability to overcome challenges is your own experience with resilience in yourself. In what ways have you felt resilient?
  2. How do you think these experiences of personal reselilience will impact your effectiveness working with individuals with mental illness?