Psychosocial development from college through midlife: A 34-year sequential study.

Prior research with the RALS has found that women tend to score higher on intimacy than men.

“Indeed, prior research with the RALS has investigated the moderating effects of gender and birth cohort on trajectories of psychosocial development, revealing, for instance, that women tend to score higher on intimacy than men (Whitbourne et al., 2009).”

Prior research with the RALS estimated that intimacy follows a slightly curved trajectory, with steeper growth across early adulthood and leveling off slightly across mid-life.

“Specifically, this work suggested that intimacy follows a slightly curved trajectory, with steeper growth across early adulthood, and leveling off slightly across mid-life.”

Prior research with the RALS estimated that generativity is characterized by a slowly increasing linear trajectory.

“Generativity was characterized by a slowly increasing linear trajectory.”

Completion status in 2012-2014 was not significantly associated with emerging adulthood identity resolution or with intimacy, generativity, or integrity.

“However, analyses comparing participants who remained in the sample to those who dropped out revealed no significant association between completion status in 2012–2014 and the main predictor of interest, i.e. emerging adulthood identity resolution (r = .02, p > .05), nor for the focal outcomes of intimacy (rs range from −.04 to .08 across waves, all ps > .05), generativity (rs range from −.08 to .”

Recent empirical work calls into question the assumption that the eight stages of Erikson's model follow a neat, sequential order.

“Furthermore, recent empirical work calls into question the assumption that the eight stages of Erikson’s model follow the neat, sequential order suggested by many conventional interpretations (e.g., Whitbourne et al., 2009).”

Prior research with the RALS estimated that integrity decreased from the twenties through the forties and then increased.

“Integrity decreased from the twenties through the forties, then increased from there on.”

Birth cohort was unrelated to all outcomes except that later cohorts tended to have lower levels of ego integrity in emerging adulthood.

“Birth cohort was unrelated to all outcomes except that later cohorts tended to have lower levels of ego integrity in emerging adulthood, consistent with past RALS research (Whitbourne et al., 2009).”

The findings support the growing body of literature questioning the strictly sequential, age-graded interpretation of Erikson's psychosocial stage model.

“Our findings support the growing body of literature questioning the strictly sequential, age-graded interpretation of Erikson’s psychosocial stage model (e.g., Whitbourne et al., 2009; Pratt et al., 2020).”

Prior research with the RALS suggested that life experiences such as entering a committed relationship or becoming a parent can contribute to catching up on psychosocial growth for individuals who exhibited lower levels of intimacy and generativity early in adulthood.

“Prior research with the RALS has also suggested that life experiences such as entering a committed relationship or becoming a parent can contribute to “catching up” on psychosocial growth for individuals who exhibited lower levels of intimacy and generativity early in adulthood (Whitbourne et al., 2009).”

Previous research with the RALS and other longitudinal datasets has demonstrated a surprising degree of stability in some psychosocial constructs over time.

“In support of this “matrix” interpretation, previous research with the RALS (Whitbourne et al., 2009), as well as other longitudinal datasets (Einolf, 2014) has demonstrated a surprising degree of stability in some psychosocial constructs over time, a finding reinforced by the present analyses.”

More recent interpretations have emphasized Erikson's assertion that each psychosocial construct is present across the lifespan.

“In contrast to the conventional, strictly age-graded interpretation of Erikson’s psychosocial stage model (e.g., Vaillant & Milofsky, 1980), more recent interpretations have emphasized Erikson’s assertion that each psychosocial construct is present across the lifespan (Whitbourne et al., 2009; Pratt, Lawford, Matsuba, & Villar, 2020).”

Prior research has demonstrated differences by gender and birth cohort in Eriksonian psychosocial development.

“Prior research has demonstrated differences by gender and birth cohort in Eriksonian psychosocial development (e.g., Fadjukoff et al., 2010; Whitbourne et al., 2009; Vandewater & Stewart, 2006), and the present study sheds additional light on how these demographic factors may influence psychosocial growth over time.”