In this article, we analyse the ways school headteachers/principals (HT/Ps) at different stages of adult ego development (AED) make sense of and respond to the organisational complexity of their schools. The AED stage of 20 HT/Ps in England was assessed using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test. HT/Ps in the self-aware,…

The present study used meta-analytic techniques (number of samples = 92) to determine the patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course. Results showed that people increase in measures of social dominance (a facet of extraversion), conscientiousness, and emotional stability, especially in young adulthood (age 20 to…

Presented are the theoretical characteristics of social identity in early adolescence (ages 10 to 15). It is suggested that no longer is identity thought to begin with adolescence, but may have its beginnings in the preteen years. The article draws heavily on Eriksonian concepts. (Editor/KC)

Case studies of self-actualizing people according to the ideas of A. Maslow and the criteria of K. Dabrowski are presented. To find people meeting the criteria of Level 4 of the Dabrowski theory, a pool of 21 subjects was established by nomination. All subjects were given the Definition-Response Instrument to assess levels of emotional…

Factors which aid an individual's progression from one stage of moral reasoning to another remain a mystery. Theorists suggest that intraception, defined as a predominance of feeling, fantasy, and aspirations (connoting a humanistic outlook and an ability to develop role-taking skills) as opposed to a down-to-earth, skeptical attitude, may be an…

This article examines the descriptive influences of reading and learning disorders on personality development. It discusses the effects of biologic vulnerabilities and environmental interaction, the variant patterns of defense and symptom development at various life stages, and evidence that early development failures are key elements in later…

The process by which human beings, as they grow toward maturity, develop values is not an automatic one. The process can be fostered by a number of teaching strategies. The strategies include the techniques of self-discovery, the provision of learning environments that encourage growth, and the practice of specific skills. This volume provides a…

Based on intense observations of one child's development from 1 to 3 years of age, this book describes how children acquire the knowledge they need to become persons. The book has 13 chapters, divided chronologically. Topics covered include: (1) personhood and social identity, and methodological issues; (2) 15-16 months, doing a lot with a little,…

Considers the qualities of awareness of responsibility and capacity for self-evaluation, which teachers should have, how these qualities develop in a person, and whether they can be taught. Relates Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration to teachers' self-profiles and lists five levels of development defined by the theory. (MF)

Offers a trenchant critique of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, both of whom claimed to identify stages in moral development that are "universal, culturally invariant, and nonregressive." Explains some inadequacies in these theories, which have become so influential in education, and offers suggestions for further investigation. (MJP)

Recent data suggest that genes influence three domains of great importance to family researchers: (1) developmental outcomes; (2) family variables that are thought to influence those outcomes; and (3) covariance between measures of family process and developmental outcomes. Influence of genes on variances and covariances challenges current…

Adolescent struggle is about the forces which shape the self and direct the search for identity. It examines the factors which incline young people toward self-centeredness, irrationality and faulty decision-making. Section 1 of the book deals with the adolescent self and two of the most important determinants of adolescent behavior: egocentrism…

Analyzes relationship between the availability of a comprehensive career education program and identity development in high school seniors by comparing students with a career education program to students with a counseling program. Analyzes students' individual alienation from social concerns. Suggests need for adult life preparation as well as…

This study examined the perceptions of 15 elementary school teachers on their personal and professional development. In focused interviews, they were asked their perceptions of the characteristics of their personal and professional development and of the major influences on that development. The teachers' experience ranged from 4 to 28 years. The…

Using observation and analysis of children's interactions with their environments, this study evaluated the quality of parent-run day care centers. Observation reduces the degree of subjectivism, respects the integrity of the child-care situation, and allows one to witness the actual effects of the environment and to observe the combined effect of…