Processes Involved in Adult Ego Development: A Conceptual Framework

Conceptual and Moral Development of Substance Abuse Counselors: Implications for Training

“…As individuals advance through these levels of development, they are more able to see alternative points of view and to respond to the world in ways that are increasingly more effective. Thus, the higher a counselor's cognitive development is, the better equipped he or she is to function in complex counseling tasks, such as being empathic, being flexible in the use of counseling methods, being autonomous and interdependent, and being less prejudiced toward others (Manners & Durkin, 2000). Research has been published on the relationships of individuals' cognitive development to their functioning in complex environments, attainment of education, and counseling-related tasks.…”

Life Span Theory in Developmental Psychology

“…Nevertheless, it seems safe to say that across a number of studies, positive expressions of the following personality characteristics have been demonstrated to mostly contribute to positive outcomes, thus, can be called general-purpose mechanisms (cf. Friedman et al, 1995;Helson & Wink, 1987;Manners & Durkin, 2000;Peterson, Seligman, Yurko, Martin, & Friedman, 1998): Conscientiousness, extraversion, openness to experience, behavioral f lexibility, ego resilience, ego level, internal control or agency (ef ficacy) beliefs, and cognitive investment.…”

Managers’ Citizenship Behaviors for the Environment: A Developmental Perspective

“…These stages are often described as the center-of-gravity, central tendency, or chief action logic that shape what individuals tend to be aware of (Cacioppe and Edwards 2005;Cook-Greuter 2004;Torbert and Livne-Tarandach 2009). For most individuals, the stage of consciousness or ego development tends to stabilize in early adulthood to form a coherent and relatively stable meaning system characterized by specific motivations, cognitive aspects, values, and capacity to deal with complexity (Cook-Greuter 2000, 2004Drath et al 2008;Loevinger et al 1970;Manners and Durkin 2000;Pfaffenberger et al 2011). According to the empirical studies in this area (e.g., Baron and Cayer 2011;Boiral et al 2014;Cook-Greuter 2004;Joiner and Josephs 2006;Rooke and Torbert 2005), more than 80 % of the adult population is characterized by conventional stages of consciousness that revolve around three main types: diplomats, experts, and achievers.…”

“…As summarized by Baron and Cayer (2011) ''consciousness development is a difficult and often painful process that is rarely deliberate, but more often brought about by experiencing a gap between the complexity of one's meaning structures and the complexity of the challenges one is facing'' (p. 348). Moreover, although the stages of consciousness are not static, they tend to stabilize in early adulthood (Manners and Durkin 2000;Pfaffenberger 2005;Pfaffenberger et al 2011). As a result, post-conventional stages seem difficult to promote through programs implemented by organizations.…”