Positive Adult Development Intersects Social and Behavioral Science

INTRODUCTION Positive Adult Development Intersects Social and Behavioral Science

Michael Lamport Commons Elke Fein Harvard Medical School University of Freiburg

This special issue of the Behavioral Devel- • suggest paradigmatic theoretical innova- opment Bulletin is dedicated to applications of tion to the social sciences; and adult development (AD) research in various so- • gain deeper incorporation in behavioral cial science disciplines. Positive adult develop- economic, sociological, social, psycholog- ment (PAD) research has experienced a consid- ical, and political science contexts. erable differentiation since its Piagetian Although having invited both theoretical and beginnings in the last quarter of the 20th cen- empirical contributions to PAD research, the tury. It has gained increasing influence, espe- emphasis of this issue is on empirical applica- cially in developmental and educational psy- tions, with a special focus on social science chology. At the same time, despite considerable disciplines other than psychology. Also, by fea- epistemological benefits, it is not yet incorpo- turing papers that review how AD approaches rated as a valuable complement to dominant have been received and used in other social social science perspectives on socioeconomic, science disciplines, the issue presents a very cultural, and political life. Applications to date, rich and broad panorama of how PAD perspec- however, indicate how AD perspectives can tives have been and can be used in various areas shed light on otherwise neglected dimensions. of the social sciences. We hope that it provides Due to PAD’s constructivist and mostly con- inspiration to both developmentalists and other tent-free structuralist approaches it is transport- social scientists in view of discussing and show- able to interdisciplinary research in many dif- ing how AD perspectives can make a difference ferent contexts. This issue of the Behavioral in traditional social science disciplines through Development Bulletin therefore asks how AD its specific theoretical and epistemological per- perspectives can spectives, thus building bridges between fields. • make valuable contributions to addressing real world challenges by offering more Current Issue comprehensive understandings and inter- pretations of complex problems; The papers for this special issue are organized into four sections, starting with a general, introductory one, before opening the floor to more empirical studies. Section 1 provides This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. Editor’s Note. This is an introduction to the special issue overviews of AD uses in the social sciences, as This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual“Adult user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Development Meets Social and Behavioral Sci- well as methodological discussions. The other ence.” Please see the Table of Contents here: http://psycnet. three sections focus on: history, society, and apa.org/journals/bdb/21/2/.—MLC religion (Section 2); leadership and organizational development (Section 3); and on educa- Michael Lamport Commons, Harvard Medical School; tion (Section 4). Elke Fein, Institute for Integral Studies, University of The first section contains three contributions, Freiburg. opened by Dristi Adhikari’s discussion of dif- Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Michael Lamport Commons, Harvard Medical ferences in perspectives and research ap- School, 234 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. E- proaches between the social and behavioral sci- mail: [email protected] ence and ways to bridge them by using

122 POSITIVE ADULT DEVELOPMENT 123

developmental research strategies (Adhikari, tasks (Miller & Crone-Todd, 2016). Their paper 2016). Next, Elke Fein and Thomas Jordan’s suggests that the measures used are good pre- review of the state of the art focuses more dictors of students’ performance in various specifically on empirical research in the social fields of activity. The second and final paper in and political sciences that is informed by devel- this section by Saranya Ramakrishnan, Sarthak opmental theories and models, especially on Giri, and Michelle Mei looks at important be- research that is less well known (Fein & Jordan, havioral interest necessary to thrive in aca- 2016). Finally, Michael Commons’ contribution demia, based on the modified Holland Interest presents the metacross-paradigmatic stage in his Scale (Ramakrishnan, Giri, & Mei, 2016). Con- model of hierarchical complexity (Commons, sidering the imbalance between the number of 2016). This article introduces and gives empir- graduates and available academic positions, ical and theoretical evidence of the highest they propose a typical interests profile of suc- known stage of development. It shows that even cessful academics as a means to help students cross paradigmatic entities can be compared decide if academia is the correct career choice systematically and integrated further. for them. The second section assembles three contribu- Overall, the contributions to this special issue tion focusing on historical, societal, and reli- present a broad overview and multiple insights gious dimensions and implications of AD. First, into how AD perspectives can offer new inter- Sofia Leite discusses the relation between cul- pretations and comprehensive understandings tural evolution and the emergence of higher of complex social problems. By including com- stages of cognitive development in an evolu- plexity-based perspectives, they suggest inno- tionary perspective (Leite, 2016). She argues vative paths for addressing real world chal- that population growth has been a major factor lenges, thus providing valuable paradigmatic for the upward shift of average stage of devel- theoretical innovation to the social sciences. opment of humans, which, reciprocally, was a Putting this special issue together would not prerequisite for cultural evolution. Next, have been possible without the help of our co- Sarthak Giri’s paper compares moral develop- editors, reviewers, and managing editor. Their ment and social perspective taking in China and efforts are very much appreciated. the United States, arguing that there is little or Below are the papers that will appear in a no difference in Kohlbergian stages of moral future issue of the Behavioral Development development and social perspective taking be- Bulletin. These papers were originally written tween different cultures if measured properly for the special issue on “Adult Development (Giri, 2016). The final paper by Nancy Nord- Meets Social and Behavioral Science”; how- mann also takes a comparative look at two kinds ever, due to space constraints in this issue, they of models, namely an autogenetic framework of will appear in a future issue. interpersonal agency and developmental models of social development (Nordmann, 2016). She Future Issue holds that the autogenetic model fits the require- ments of a social developmental model. The papers for this issue will be organized Section 3 has a paper by Anastasija Wagner into four sections, starting with a general, intro- and Elke Fein. The authors present a framework ductory one, before opening the floor to more for analyzing the complexity of political lead- empirical studies. Section 1 will provide over- This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. ership combining adult developmental with es- views of AD uses in the social sciences, as well This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. tablished social science methodologies (Wagner as methodological discussions. The other three & Fein, 2016a). Based on this, they outline a sections will focus on history, society, and re- developmentally informed profile of the Rus- ligion (Section 2); leadership and organizational sian president’s publicly displayed leadership development (Section 3); and education (Sec- behavior. tion 4). Section 4 of this issue is dedicated to educa- In Section 1, Sofia Kjellström and Kristian tion. It is opened by Patrice Marie Miller and Stålne will give a wide overview of how adult Darlene Crone-Todd’s comparison of different developmental perspectives have been used in ways of using the model of hierarchical com- the broader social science field. They will dis- plexity to evaluate graduate students’ writing tinguish seven different avenues in which de- 124 COMMONS AND FEIN

velopmental approaches have made contribu- ployees’ and organizational stage development tions to research in other fields (Kjellström & (Hagström & Backström, 2016). Stålne, in press). Section 4 of this issue will be dedicated to In Section 2, Elke Fein will look at how education. Rebecca Hamer and Eric van Ros- developments in cognition and moral judgment sum will present their model describing six hi- have manifested and changed important ele- erarchically inclusive ways of understanding ments of Russia’s political culture over a period that shape and affect the perception and expe- of 150 years, including two large scale systemic rience of learning and teaching (Hamer & van transitions (Fein, 2016). This paper will show Rossum, 2016). They will focus on how post- how the changing complexity of political, legal, formal ways of thinking can be fostered in and economic cultures informs the emergence higher education. Gloria Nogueiras and Ale- and functioning of specific social institutions. jandro Iborra will explain transitions toward This will be followed two papers on AD and more complex ways of knowing, self-under- religion by James Day. In the first paper, Day standing and meaning-making (Nogueiras & will discuss how religion and spirituality are Iborra, 2016). Their research is based on an linked to well-being, prosocial, and antisocial in-depth field experiment with students in behavior, and how models of religious and spir- higher education. They will investigate how the itual development can inform education, psy- development of increasing self-direction occurs chotherapy, and applied developmental psy- throughout a semester course, and how that chology (Day, in press-b). In the second paper, transition differs between freshmen and mas- he asks whether there are postformal stages in ter’s students. Also, they will discuss how spe- religious cognition (Day, in press-a). By look- cific teaching methodologies can facilitate this ing, in particular, at “gifted” young people, Day kind of epistemological transition. explores how postformal thinking translates into the fields of religion and spirituality. The section will be completed by Albert Erdynast’s References analysis of developmental disparities of sub- jects’ conceptions of the beautiful (Erdynast, in Adhikari, D. (2016). Exploring the differences between social and behavioral science. Behavioral press). The real-life implications of such dispar- Development Bulletin, 21, 128–135. http://dx.doi ities are illustrated by the marriage and divorce .org/10.1037/bdb0000029 of Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter and Vivien Commons, M. L. (2016). Stage 16: The meta-cross- Merchant. Erdynast argues that their structural paradigmatic stage. Behavioral Development Bul- level of meaning making around aesthetics and letin, 21, 154–164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ other issues were so disparate that communica- bdb0000037 tion between them seemed no longer possible. Day, J. (in press-a). Religion and adult development: Section 3 will start with an overview by Jon- Are there postformal stages in religious cognition? athan Reams on how adult developmental per- Theoretical considerations, empirical evidence, spectives have been used and applied in the field and promotion of development in adulthood. Be- havioral Development Bulletin. of leadership studies, both in leadership theory Day, J. (in press-b). Religion and human develop- and in leadership coaching and development ment in adulthood: Well-being, pro-social behav- (Reams, 2016). This will be followed by Anas- ior, religious and spiritual development. Behav- tasija Wagner and Elke Fein’s paper that illus- ioral Development Bulletin. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. trates the Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s Erdynast, A. (in press). Developmental disparities in This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. publicly displayed leadership behavior through differing levels of conceptions of the beautiful and two policy case studies, looking at his domestic implications on marriage as a fundamental organi- and foreign politics over a period of 15 years zational unit. Behavioral Development Bulletin. (Wagner & Fein, 2016b) In the third article in Fein, E. (2016). Cognition, cultural practices and the this section, Tom Hagström and Tomas Back- working of political institutions: An adult developmental perspective on corruption in Russian his- ström will discuss the impact of AD on organi- tory. Behavioral Development Bulletin. Advance zational and company culture in a competitive online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ bank. More precisely, they will elucidate how a bdb0000034 combination of decentralized autonomy and Fein, E., & Jordan, T. (2016). Adult development company culture integration is related to em- meets social sciences—Reviewing the state of the POSITIVE ADULT DEVELOPMENT 125

art. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 21, 136– ter’s students: A qualitative approach. Behavioral 153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000051 Development Bulletin. Advance online publication. Giri, S. (2016). Cross-cultural homogeneity in social http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000024 perspective taking: China and the United States. Nordmann, N. (2016). Developmental analysis of Behavioral Development Bulletin, 21, 176–183. autogenetic frameworks of interpersonal agency. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000023 Behavioral Development Bulletin, 21, 184–203. Hagström, T., & Backström, T. (2016). Decentralized http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000047 autonomy and company culture integration: Indi- Ramakrishnan, S., Giri, S., & Mei, M. (2016). Iso- vidual and organizational development incentives lating occupational interests of academics to iden- and potentials contextualized. Behavioral Devel- tify metrics of success. Behavioral Development opment Bulletin. Advance online publication. Bulletin, 21, 240–246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000035 bdb0000049 Hamer, R., & van Rossum, E. (2016). Six languages Reams, J. (2016). An overview of adult cognitive in education—Looking for postformal thinking. development research and its application in the Behavioral Development Bulletin. Advance online ﬁeld of leadership studies. Behavioral Develop- publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000030 ment Bulletin. Advance online publication. http:// Kjellström, S., & Stålne, K. (in press). Adult devel- dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000032 opment as a lens: Applications of adult develop- Wagner, A., & Fein, E. (2016a). Vladimir Putin as a ment theories in research. Behavioral Develop- political leader: Challenges to an adult developmentally- ment Bulletin. informed analysis of politics and political culture. Be- Leite, S. F. (2016). Successes in cultural evolution havioral Development Bulletin, 21, 204–222. http:// raises the variability in humans’ highest stage at- dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000028 tained. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 21, 165– Wagner, A., & Fein, E. (2016b). Vladimir Putin’s 175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000033 political leadership in action: Two developmen- Miller, P. M., & Crone-Todd, D. (2016). Comparing tally informed case studies on domestic and for- different ways of using the model of hierarchical eign politics. Behavioral Development Bulletin. complexity to evaluate graduate students. Behav- Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10 ioral Development Bulletin, 21, 223–239. http://dx .1037/bdb0000038 .doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000039 Nogueiras, G., & Iborra, A. (2016). Understanding Received October 24, 2016 and promoting self-direction in freshmen and mas- Accepted October 24, 2016 Ⅲ This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.