DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

value on incorporating the feminine into the self during male adult development, and
research on gender identity since has shown that a balance of male and female
characteristics is associated with a number of positive outcomes in adulthood (Bem,
1974). The goal is transformation of the anima from troublesome adversary that
impinges on a one-sided gender identity, into a consciously developed, more caring
and sensitive aspect of the masculine personality.
Guy’s story unfolded in a clear direction away from a rigid and aggressive
masculine persona, describes as aggressive, intolerant and pushy, towards a self that
had the values of caring, sensitivity and openness which Guy himself considers to be
manifestations of a more feminine self. This is reflected outwardly in a new focus on
dancing, emotional expression and parental caring. We also see an integration of
male and female in Guy’s behaviour, suggesting an integration of the animus and
anima:
“I became mother & father to the children.” (Emails, p.3)
Materialism and Extrinsic Motivation
In Study 1, a number of the participants (Mary, Lynne, Angela, Guy, Neil,
Dan) described a form of pre-crisis value orientation which was dominantly
materialistic, but became markedly less so after the crisis. This suggested the
possibility that there may have been something about a materialistic focus that
precipitated crisis, or something about resolving crisis which may have required the
renunciation of a materialistic focus. This possibility was further explored in Study 2
and was considered sufficiently central to the crisis narrative to be given a dedicated
developmental theme.
The area of research and theory on the psychological outcomes and limitations
of materialism was overlooked in the original literature review, as the literature does
not link explicitly to early adult crisis, but clearly does have relevance.
Csikszentmihalyi was one of the first to start this domain of research, when he
presented evidence that human wellbeing is poorly correlated with material wealth.
Evidence therefore suggests that the increasing material affluence of Western society
is not bringing the hoped for rise in happiness and wellbeing (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999;
Kasser, 2002). Brickman, Coates and Janoff-Bulman (1978) studied a group of
lottery winners and found that despite their sudden increase in wealth, their happiness
was no different from that of people struck by blindness or paraplegia. This may be
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