Re: [xmca] transition to adulthood

[Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com>]

Martin and Mike
Thanks for inviting thoughts on the "new" stage beyond adolescence.

The term "transitions" could be interpreted as moving from one activity
system [school] with its shared object of "getting an education" to a
"supposed" other activity system [work] which seems to be the hallmark of
"becoming adult"  Now what happens experientially to the person when
this work activity system no longer exists to transition into?  The person's
subjective actions become "disoriented" without a shared system of
activities and shared objects to orient ones actions.  If this structural
and historical change in the historical "transition" to the information age
comes to dominate our Western institutional structural arrangements [ with
the resulting loss of shared activity systems] then the person becomes
"dependent" on  others who are living their lives oriented to work with
shared objects and shared activity SYSTEMS.

The result is a generation or cohort of young men and women who have grown
up anticipating that they are naturally  "developing" and moving through the
stages from childhood to adolescence and into the shared world of work. In
our modern institutional frameworks that locates this
"inner development" within a universal process of maturation, failure to
"develop" is interpreted as "continuing dependency" and having to be
supported by "others" who are "independent" [occupy positions in shared
activity systems with shared objects]

The "common sense" explanation [guided by psychological notions], when they
observe an entire generation of young adults "refusing" to take on the
responsibilities of adulthood [ie taking care of ONE'S SELF] look for an
explanation within maturation theory and the young adults "resisting" moving
through the natural stages of development. THE BLAME for this societal
system of institutionalized activity is located as a "lack"
within individual motivation.  If only the person had "goals" and "motives"
like the older generation who finished school, set individual goals, and
transitioned" into the work world and took their places as "adults".

This is my reflection as I read the snippet of the article you are
composing.
The ongoing question I would like to add is where do we locate the notion of
"affiliation" in these  historical narratives.  Developing "higher mental
functions" "transforms" affiliative relationships but I happen to believe
"affiliation" remains a central subjective phenomenological motive
[action] AND a central object of activity SYSTEMS.

Affiliation [and attachment] which are seen as fundamental prime movers
 [actions]  developmentally at the earlier "lower levels" are theorized as
not continuing to be prime movers and receding into the background in later
developmental stages.  [Is this assumption about "affiliation" as a prime
mover at one stage of development but not a prime mover at later stages of
development an accurate portrayal of some developmental theoretical
accounts?]

In the reflecting on developmental "transitions" from "adolesence" towards
"independence" there seems to be a tendency [bias??] to minimize this aspect
of "affiliation" as continuing to be a prime mover in BOTH personal actions
and goals as well as being an aspect of  "objects" of activity SYSTEMS.  In
particular, what happens to "affiliation" [attachment]  needs when young
adults leave the shared activity SYSTEM of school [which both CONSTRAINED
and CONSTITUTED identity formation] and do not have another activity system
to enter. [except in the role of "dependent" and "immature" delayed
adulthood.]

"Objects" of shared INSTITUTIONAL activity [as a unit of analysis] and
hermeneutical "realism" [as a unit of analysis] are alternative  narrative
accounts which seem to share some common assumptions.  Are there any
articles which explicitly compare and contrast these alternative
"traditions" as ways to describe, explain, and understand being human?

Larry
  On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 1:50 PM, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:

> For those interested, attached is part of a chapter that Martin P and I
> wrote on culture in development for an advanced "developmental science"
> textbook. The summary is very compacted, but there is perhaps enough here
> to
> be useful to those interested in the issues of stages, transitions,
> etc. We are promising ourselves a more extended treatment under other
> auspices, but there is this odd problem of finding time not already
> occupied
> by more compelling demands.
> mike
>
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