Subjective Well-Being Through the Life Span

• Key Terms:

  • Normative Life Events: Expected occurrences in life (e.g., graduating, marriage).

  • Non-Normative Life Events: Unexpected changes that can impact one's course significantly (e.g., job loss, illness).

  • Assimilation: Adjusting by maintaining goals while altering the approach to achieve them.

  • Accommodation: Accepting the need to modify or let go of goals.

  • Ego-Resilience: Capacity to adapt positively to changes and challenges.

Models of Understanding Life Changes

• Stage or Growth Models: Development tied to specific ages/milestones.

• Life Span Models: Views development as a continuous process across life stages.

• Life Course Models: Focus on social and societal influences throughout life.

Erikson’s Stage Model

• Developmental Stages

  • Each stage characterized by conflict between two opposing forces, impacting growth.

• Virtues:

  • Hope, Will, Purpose, Competence, Fidelity, Love, Care, and Wisdom.

• Dynamic Balance of Opposites: Balancing maladaptive and malignant tendencies to foster growth.

Positive Youth Development

• Emphasizes strengths such as:

  • Hope, Optimism, Curiosity, Openness, and Benefit-Finding.

• Adolescence can be experienced as "storm and stress" or as a time of growth.

Positive Youth Development: The Five C’s

• Lerner’s Five C’s framework for thriving youth:

  • Competence

  • Confidence

  • Connection

  • Character

  • Caring

• Development of strengths is supported by:

  • Supportive environments, contributions, and optimism.

• Penn Resiliency Program: A program to foster these attributes through skills training and social-emotional learning.

Penn Resiliency Program

• Aimed at developing optimism and resilience.

• Core Abilities:

  • Self-Awareness: Attending to one’s thoughts/emotions.

  • Strengths of Character: Using strengths authentically to overcome challenges.

  • Self-Regulation: Shifting attitudes and behaviors for desired outcomes.

  • Connection: Building trusting relationships.

  • Mental Agility: Flexibly thinking about situations.

Effects of the Penn Resiliency Program

• 25 years of research demonstrate:

  • Reduces stress-related issues (anxiety/depression).

  • Increases life satisfaction, optimism, and social skills among participants.

Early and Middle Adulthood

• Adapting to life's unexpected challenges requires flexibility.

• Assimilation vs. Accommodation:

  • Maintain goals or adjust them in response to life changes.

Generativity

• The responsibility to nurture the succeeding generation.

• Individual contributions towards a better future are vital.

General Findings on Well-Being Throughout Life

• Younger populations focus on exploration and hope.

• Middle-aged individuals prioritize relationships.

• Older adults draw upon education and experiences that feed psychological well-being.

• Scores indicating autonomy and environmental mastery improve with age, while purpose and personal growth tend to decrease.

Mid-Life Context

• Mid-life can bring crises associated with reevaluation of achievements and career.

• Gender-specific experiences influence well-being throughout these transitions.

Successful Aging

• Influencing factors include:

  • Culture, lifetime experiences, and gender.

• Emotional intelligence and the positivity effect help in managing negative emotions and experiences.

• Selective Optimization with Compensation: Concept in which individuals adapt by selecting important goals while compensating for losses.

Managing Life Challenges

• Emotional regulation styles impact adaptation positively or negatively.

• Defense Mechanisms: Strategies to manage unpleasant thoughts or feelings with varying effectiveness depending on maturity.

• Mature defense mechanisms promote awareness and understanding.

The Narrative Approach

• Our life narratives provide meaning and identity.

• Reflecting on personal stories can enhance well-being and promote personal growth.

Resilience Across the Life Span

• Defined as the ability to positively adapt to adversity and challenges:

  • Children's resilience can be influenced by supportive figures and environments.

  • Adult resilience incorporates positive social networks and coping strategies for maintaining optimism.

Questions to Reflect On

• Why is it important to adapt goals based on life's transitions?

• How do you cultivate optimism and resilience in your life?