1. The Journey Of Adulthood, 5/e Helen L. Bee & Barbara R. Bjorklund Chapter 10 The Growth of Meaning The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

2. Growth and Meaning Meaning is what matters: worldviews internal models Studying meaning systems: Need to look beyond observable behavior. Standardized questionnaire techniques Open-ended interview techniques Individual case studies The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

3. The Development of Meaning Systems Kohlberg’s theory of the development of moral reasoning: Children and adults move through a sequence of stages in moral reasoning. Key is reasoning behind beliefs (e.g., why is lying wrong?). Presented hypothetical dilemma and looked at moral reasoning. preconventional level: punishment and obedience; naïve hedonism conventional level: good boy/girl; social order postconventional level: social contract; individual principles (See Table 10.1 in the text for description of each stage.)

4. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Fowler’s theory of faith development: Faith is a set of assumptions or understandings about the nature of our connections with others and with the world in which we live. Stages of Faith: synthetic-conventional: authority found outside oneself individuative-reflective: authority is found internally conjunctive faith: consider welfare of others universalizing faith: live principles of love and justice The Development of Meaning Systems

5. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Integrating Meaning and Personality Kegan’s synthesizing idea: Powerful and equal motives for connection and independence Fundamental alternation Stages of mystical experience: Mysticism: self-transcendent experience Step 1: Awakening Step 2: Purification Step 3: Illumination Step 4: Dark night of the soul Step 5: Abandonment Step 6: Unity

6. The Journey of Adulthood 5/e by Bee & Bjorklund. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Process of transitions: Transitions: transformations from one stage to the next. conformist to individualistic individualistic to integrated integrated to self-transcendent [See Table 10.3 in the text.] Integrating Meaning and Personality