Adult Development

This course provides students with an opportunity to advance their

knowledge of human development beyond childhood and adolescence

into adulthood.

The course will assume a practical approach to studying adult

development. During the sessions the students will work with case study

examples, research data excerpts, and visual/video materials. The course

will also introduce students to the narrative approach.

Dan P. McAdams, whose methodology will be of special interest in the

course, argued that “we are all tellers of tales. We each seek to provide

our scattered and often confusing experiences with a sense of coherence

by arranging the episodes of our lives into stories.” (McAdams, 1985, p.

11). The narrative approach in psychology is concerned with how humans

make sense of reality; how they organise their lives and their selves; how

they construct their worlds; and how they live through the stories they

tell to themselves and to each other. Its dominant concern is with issues

of identity and self-exploration. The approach is used in research and

clinical settings and could prove useful to students interested in

qualitative research methods as well as psychotherapy.

As well as providing a description of and practice with the narrative

approach, the course will enable the students to learn about

development in adulthood. The students will have the opportunity to

follow developmental processes and transitions from young adulthood

through mid-life to old age.

The course will also address critical issues and frameworks that shape

how we understand and study adult development, such as the

characteristics of developmental stages in adulthood, transitions, critical

events, issues of health and aging, dying and spirituality.

The mandatory textbook is:

McAdams, D. (1993) The stories we live by. The Guilford Press New York and London

The recommended textbooks for the course are:

Cavanaugh, J.C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2011). Adult Development and Aging (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Arnett, J. J. (2012). Human Development: A Cultural Approach. Pearson.

Whitbourne, S. K., & Whitbourne, S. B. (2010). Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives (4th Ed.). Wiley-Blackwell

Further reading will be provided at the beginning of the course. Should interesting and/or important texts emerge during the course, they will be incorporated into the reading resources.

The students will become familiar with the main theories, concepts and issues relevant to development in adulthood. During the course the students will complete a small-scale qualitative project. They will design and conduct a life-story interview with an adult person or persons; conduct an analysis and write a report of their findings. This will allow the students to apply their theoretical knowledge and to witness theory in practice. It will also expose them to the research process as they will have to present their study.

Continuous assessment. The final grade is based on student presentation of a given topic in class (25%), participation in class (25%), and final report (50%).

The students are expected to attend all sessions. You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. If you are absent again, you will have to provide a very good reason or a doctor’s note. A third and fourth absence always means you will have to do extra work (such as write an essay on top of the required work) to pass the course. Five absences (and more) mean you will not pass the course.

Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration.