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This study examined origins of possible selves and the role of Epiphanies. Specifically, of interest was whether there are demographic or self-regulatory differences in possible selves derived from different origins. The sample consisted of 411 participants, with age ranging from 17 – 95. The data was taken from two previous research studies on possible selves. The first research question examined the origins of possible selves. Results indicate that possible selves are derived from Epiphany experiences along with internal and external influences, such as another person, or a particular event. The second research question determined whether there were any demographic, ethnic, or cultural differences in the origins of possible selves. Results showed age, cohort, and socioeconomic status had effects. The final research question addressed whether there were differences in the domains of possible selves derived from various origins. Results indicated differences in domains however there were no clear patterns. The first hypothesis was that possible selves derived from an Epiphany would be considered more important than those derived from other origins. This hypothesis was not supported. The second hypothesis was that hoped-for possible selves were more likely to be derived from an Epiphany experience than feared selves. This hypothesis was supported. The second hypothesis also stated that possible selves derived from an Epiphany were more likely to be balanced than selves derived from other origins and this was supported for feared selves only. Finally, the third hypothesis stated that there would be self-regulatory differences between selves derived from Epiphanies compared to other origins but this was not supported. Taken together these findings show that the origins of possible selves are important and especially those derived from epiphany. The role of an Epiphany on the formation and implementation of possible selves paves the way for important prevention programs aimed at promoting healthy development and promoting an individual’s well being.

This study concerns the relationship between organisational and professional commitment over time. The study was conducted among solicitors In large commercial practices. Reviewing the literature on organisational and professional commitment three issues appeared salient. The first concerns the extent to which commitment Is time related. The second concerns the extent to which professional and organisational commitment are compatible. The third relates to the nature of commitment. Levinson's (1978) theory of adult development provided the framework of analysis for the present study. The core of Levinson's theory Is that people experience periods of stability and transition during their lifetime. Moreover, these changes are to some extent predetermined. The present study tests the Idea that commitment generally Increases with age. The underlying assumption is that older people are generally more satisfied with life In general than younger people. Another set of hypotheses relates to the relationship between organisational and professional commitment. It Is expected that both forms of commitment are complementary. Levinson suggests that at each life structure individuals experience different Intensities of commitment. This Is shaped by personality development as well as the processes of adaptation and socialisation. Finally, the motives behind an Individual's decision to stay In the organisation or the profession determines the nature of their commitments. It Is expected that professionals express their commitments In terms of a positive attitude rather than Instrumental behaviour. Organisational and professional commitment were measured using Meyer and Alien's (1991) scale.The measuresof organisational and professional commitment differentiated between attitudinal and behavioural dimensions. Attitudinal commitment was defined as the psychological Identification and attachment to the firm and to the profession (affective commitment), as well as a perceived moral duty to remain In the firm and profession (normative commitment). Behavioural commitment wasdescribed aspersonal sacrifices and the costs of quitting either the profession or the firm (continuance commitment). The survey also measured Job Involvement (Lodahl and Kejner 1965). professionalism (Hall 1968), and work values orientation (Shepard 1972; Popper and Lipshizt 1992). A sample was drawn randomly from large solicitors' firms In London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. 403 usable replies were received. Data were analyzed mainly by t-test and Oneway Analysis of Variance (A.N.O.V.A) and Duncan's multiple-range test for multiple comparisons. The results confirm the Initial hypotheses. Age was found to be a stronger predictor of commitment than Individuals' experiences. Further, solicitors are more professionally than organisationally committed. This finding Is, however, subjected to some qualifications. The sense of 'wanting to stay' and 'needing to stay' Is higher for the profession than the firms. Yet the 'obllgation to stay' Is higher for the organisation than the profession. When results are analysed by age, professional commitment predominates only among solicitors In the early career stage. Thereafter, no form of commitment predominates until 'Mid-life Transition'. At this stage, organisational commitment predominates. In the late career stage, there Is no significant difference between both forms of commitment. Generally, affective commitment predominates over calculative commitment. The theoretical and practical Implications of the findings of the present study are discussed. The thesis Includes suggestions for future research.

This thesis is an examination of language and number in two atypically developing groups, Williams Syndrome (WS) and Down's Syndrome (DS). These groups were chosen because their cognitive profiles in adulthood differ significantly. It is already known that language is a relative strength in WS but that it is poorer than non-verbal ability in DS. The precursors to both language and number ability were studied in 24-36 month old infants and performance at this stage was compared with that in the steady state, by testing older children and adults, aged 9-35 years. Similar age-appropriate tests were used with both groups so that performance in the steady state could be compared with that in infancy. Specific subdomains of language and number were assessed to investigate whether the pattern seen in the adult steady state was also present in infancy, or whether the mature phenotype is a product of the different developmental trajectories followed by each group. The overall cognitive profile of infants with WS and DS did not differ significantly, despite clear distinctions between the adult profiles. However, their performance on number and language tasks did differ in infancy. While in adulthood WS performance on number tasks was poorer than that of DS, in infancy this pattern was reversed. For language, infants with DS exhibited a large discrepancy between productive and receptive vocabulary. A more even pattern was present for the WS group. In adulthood, vocabulary was better in WS than DS but both groups had problems with syntactic structures. Taken together these results suggest that it is not possible to derive the pattern of infant performance from the steady state in adulthood. The developmental trajectories from precursors to mature phenotype need to be thoroughly charted in atypical populations because the study of development, not just the characterisation of the endstates, is crucial.

This research investigates how older adults experience sharing recipes with younger generations, and examines conditions that contribute to the expression of generativity within the context of intergenerational recipe sharing. In Study 1, semi-structured interviews centered on experiences with intergenerational recipe sharing will be conducted with 30 older adults (age 65+). Participants will complete a survey of generative concern before and after engaging in a basic recipe sharing task. In line with previous research on generative art activities, responses will highlight feelings of autonomy as well as desires to teach others and leave a legacy. It is also hypothesized that generative concern will increase as a consequence of the recipe sharing task. Following preliminary research, Study 2 will examine how recipe type (special occasion vs. everyday-style recipe), mode of sharing (oral vs. written), and identity of recipe recipient (relative vs. stranger) influence generative concern in 792 older adults. Participants will complete the same survey described in Study 1 before being randomly assigned to one of eight recipe sharing tasks. After three sharing sessions, participants will be re-tested for present and future-oriented generativity. While all groups will show an increase in generativity over time, participants who share recipes with a younger relative and those who share recipes orally will benefit more from the intervention than their counterparts. Results will suggest that generativity is dependent on factors of recipe type, mode of sharing, and recipe recipient when recipes are passed from one generation to another. Implications and further directions are discussed, including intergenerational learning, well-being, and ego integrity in late life.

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This study examined how parents experienced their first child's transition to adolescence. A multiple-case qualitative research design was chosen to examine parents' experiences. Family systems theory and family stress and coping theory provided a theoretical starting point. Participants were recruited who had adolescents between ages 13 and 16 and saw their family as normally stressed, indicated in part by an absence of court involvement, substance abuse issues, school failure, and participation in therapy. Ten families were selected: parents from eight of these families participated in focus groups, and five sets of parents were interviewed in their homes. The grounded theory approach to qualitative inquiry developed by Glaser and Strauss guided data collection and analysis. This study identified a complex array of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual factors involved in parents' experience of this transition. A theoretical model was developed to illustrate how specific components of parents' experiences might be interrelated. The process seemed to be initiated when the parents noticed a physical, social/emotional, or relational change in their teenager. Parents responded to the perceived change through their affect, cognition, and behavior. They interpreted what was happening by processes of evaluation, reorientation, and frame. These three components-perception, response, and interpretation-were seen to interact with elements of past and current family context, such as expectations, family dynamics, family of origin influences, and sociocultural change. The overall process involved parents' attempts to regain family equilibrium at different levels of adolescent autonomy and progress toward anticipated future teen changes in ways that either enhance or diminish family cohesion. / Master of Science

While developmental research on the period of midlife has received increased attention in the literature, limited focus has been paid to the transitional stage into midlife, particularly for women. In this study, 286 women between the ages of 38 - 47 years completed online surveys comprised of a demographic questionnaire, the Social Connectedness Scale – Revised (SCS-R; Lee, Draper, & Lee, 2001), the Life Regard Index – Revised (LRI-R; Debats, 1998), and the Five Factor Wellness Inventory – Adult (FFWel-A; Myers & Sweeney, 1999). Participants were recruited through local community-based organizations and snowballing efforts. Participants resided in a major southern metropolitan city. Results from this study indicate that wellness was significantly higher for women who had advanced degrees, higher income levels, and were in a parenting role. Full-time employment and higher education levels were significantly related to higher feelings of meaning in life for women, but being in a parenting role was not linked to higher meaning in life. Implications for counseling women in the Mid-Life Transition Stage are explored and directions for future research are discussed.

This study opens with an introduction to the transpersonal orientation, which Boucouvalas presents as a meta-framework of the transpersonal field that includes individual, group/societal, and planetary/cosmic domains. Three major theoretical perspectives of the field framed the study: the hierarchical stages of development, spiral path, and participatory. I offer a philosophical hermeneutic reading of the Qur'an to trace the development of human collective consciousness as a construct of the interaction between the autonomous and homonomous self at the individual, group, and cosmic levels on one plane of reality with the Divine on the other. This analysis, which utilizes Gadamer's conceptualization of philosophical hermeneutics as a research philosophy, concludes that this process of collective human development is comprised of three clearly distinct representations: familial, national, and cosmic/planetary. I articulate development and growth as a process of the expansion of collective consciousness. The cosmic/planetary human consciousness represents the ultimate reach of this expansion, for it assimilates the national and familial types while simultaneously transforming and transcending them within its reach. Based on the historical development of human consciousness in the Qur'an depicted in this study, I propose that human collective consciousness has reached the domains of cosmic consciousness, which began at the time of the Qur'an being read by Muhammad. However, individuals and groups may still operate within the limiting boundaries of national consciousness in the form of religious, ethnic, racial, and nation states. The Qur'an, and possibly other religious texts, should be understood within this expanded cosmic/planetary consciousness reach because they represent humanity's collective heritage. Moreover, those individuals operating within a strictly national consciousness should not be entrusted with explaining these texts to humanity at large or imposing their own limiting understanding on the world. I conclude by outlining some implications for adult education as a process, a program and a movement. I presented the possible contribution of a transpersonal adult learning theory based on this study's meta-framework as a comprehensive worldview to adult education and learning combining multiple dimensions of being, including the rational, affective, spiritual, imaginative, somatic, and sociocultural domains through relevant experiences of body-mind-spirit. / Ph. D.

Esta tese investiga como ocorrem as vivências da metanoia em pessoas de meia-idade, período compreendido entre os quarenta e sessenta anos, na contemporaneidade. A metanoia caracteriza-se por um processo psicológico que pode ocorrer a partir do meio da vida, em que intensos fluxos de energia do inconsciente fluem em direção à consciência, trazendo novos conteúdos para a psique consciente e também reaproximando conteúdos reprimidos ou negligenciados no passado para que possam ser elaborados e integrados pelo ego. Esse processo mobiliza tanto crises como também desenvolvimentos emocionais. Por meio dos dados coletados em quatro encontros grupais, com seis participantes, sendo quatro mulheres e dois homens, com idade compreendida entre 46 e 59 anos, analisaram-se, a partir do referencial da psicologia analítica, as transformações psicológicas relatadas pelos colaboradores, relativas aos processos oriundos do envelhecimento, bem como dos processos de metanoia propriamente ditos. Os dados obtidos apontaram para transformações significativas nas seguintes categorias: relação com o corpo, saúde e energia; tempo, envelhecimento e finitude, sexualidade e relacionamento afetivo, relacionamento com amizades, relacionamento com pais e filhos, trabalho e aposentadoria, relação com a sociedade e a cultura, desenvolvimentos da maturidade. Foi observada no material estudado a intensificação do diálogo ego-self, já bem descrito pela literatura, bem como a intensificação do diálogo ego-persona e ego-puer-senex, sendo esses dois últimos tão importantes nos processos de adaptação, transformação e ampliação da personalidade consciente quanto o primeiro. Também se observou no material do grupo o funcionamento do eixo ego-arquétipo do herói, através de um pensamento e capacidade de ação reflexivos, o que ampliou a autonomia egoica para dialogar com ambos os polos das diversas instâncias psíquicas do inconsciente, sem se identificar com nenhum deles. A pesquisa comprovou que a idade adulta é, no mínimo, tão importante no desenvolvimento da personalidade quanto qualquer outra fase da vida. O trabalho também destacou a importância do papel do grupo, tanto como método de coleta de dados quanto em seu funcionamento como um ritual de iniciação para a maturidade. O grupo se mostrou como possibilitador de trocas significativas com pessoas da mesma faixa etária, proporcionando profundas reflexões sobre o desenvolvimento psicológico, por meio do reconhecimento e compartilhamento das necessidades de construção de novos papéis e de ressignificação de antigos papéis já consolidados na personalidade, em um mundo de rápidas e constantes transformações / This thesis investigates how the experiences of Metanoia occur in middle age, the period between forty and sixty years in contemporaneity. The Metanoia is characterized by a psychological process that can occur from the middle of life where intense fluxes of energy flow from unconscious toward consciousness bringing new content to the conscious psyche and also approaching repressed or neglected contents in the past so that they can be developed and integrated by the ego. This process mobilizes both crisis as well as emotional development. Through data collected in four group meetings with six participants, four women and two men, aged between 46 and 59 years, were analyzed, from the reference of analytical psychology, the psychological transformation reported by cooperators concerning proceedings from aging as well as the process of Metanoia themselves. The data point to significant changes in the following categories: relationship to the body, health and energy, time, aging and finitude, sexuality and emotional relationship, relationship with friendships and relationship with parents and children, work and retirement, society and culture, development of maturity. It was observed in the studied material increased dialogue ego-self, already well described in the literature as well as the intensification of the dialogue ego-persona and ego-puer-senex, being the latter two as important in the processes of adaptation, transformation and expansion of the conscious personality as the first. Also it was observed in the group\'s material the functioning of the axis ego-hero archetype through a thought and capacity of reflexive action which increased the egoism autonomy to engage with both poles of the various instances of the psychic unconscious without identifying with any of them. The research showed that adulthood is as important in the development personality as any other phase of life. The work also highlights the importance of the group both as a method of data collection as for its functioning a rite of passage into adulthood. The group showed up as an enabler for meaningful exchanges with people of the same age providing deeper insights into the psychological development by recognizing and sharing the needs of building old papers already consolidated in personality in a world of rapid and constant transformation