Adult Development

This course explores adulthood—the latter two-thirds to three-quarters of our lives—not as a single, last phase of human development but as itself an evolutionary expanse involving importantly different eras and transformations. We consider a variety of theoretical and practical questions, including the following: What are the implications of various theories of adulthood for how we define development, maturity, and wisdom? Are there common features of the adult trajectory that apply across the diversities of gender, class, and ethnicity? What are adults' actual developmental capacities, and how do they square with the mental demands of modern life? What do these theories mean for adults in the contexts of work, schooling, staff development, conflict resolution, and counseling? Can we, and should we, foster development in adulthood? In this class, we also turn the developmental lens onto our own lives—with the course including a valuable opportunity for personal transformation. We examine what might allow us to (finally) change frustrating negative habits and deeply rooted problematic behaviors. We explore and test psychological routes for reconstructing our own cognitive, social, and emotional capacities so that we might work more productively, relate to others more successfully, and manage our anxieties and stresses far more effectively. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard Graduate School of Education course T-006. (4 credits)