DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

The Dream and Intrinsic Motivation
A concept from Levinson’s theory of early adulthood is the idea of a
“Dream” (Kittrell, 1998; Walker, 1983). The Dream is very similar to the
concept of the “ideal self” that Rogers (1961) and Tory Higgins (1987)
developed. It is an imagined future state or lifestyle that generates excitement
and vitality as well as a plan to bring it about. It may take a dramatic and heroic
form: the great artist, the business tycoon, the athletic superstar performing
magnificent feats and receiving special honours, or it may take mundane forms
that are gently inspiring and sustaining: the excellent craftsman, the devoted
husband-father, the highly respected member of one’s community (Levinson et
al., 1978). Levinson suggested that the Dream is formed and clarified during
early adulthood, and that to clarify it is a critical task for the person passing
through this life stage. He found that those who build an early adult life structure
around their Dream have a better chance of attaining personal fulfilment. Those
whose life structure is a betrayal of their Dream will be less fulfilled and more
unstable.
The current study did support the importance of the Dream, as some kind of
early vocation was found in all six cases, and this was shown to be based on an
activity or career which was intrinsically motivated. Not only is the Dream a
vision of the future, it is a strong expression of intrinsically motivated activity.
The crisis is resolved by building a life structure around this activity, which then
opens the possibility of the Dream. This idea of connecting with a passion or an
interest is close to Robert White’s notion of a deepening of interests in early
adulthood (White, 1975). White was also the first to refer to intrinsic motivation
(White, 1959). In making a decision on which career or work to pursue he stated
one should go with what one finds interesting; the clearest phenomenological
sign of intrinsic motivation:
“This deepening of interests has a great deal to do with effectiveness and happiness
in one’s occupation. A person may want to become a doctor for many reasons:
prestige, social status, money, identification with the white-coated heroes of the
moving picture screen, a zeal to banish suffering, perhaps even a private mission to
conquer the disease that has prematurely taken away a beloved relative. These can
be powerful motives, but in themselves they do not make a good doctor. Granted a
sufficient level of ability, the crucial thing is the possibility of becoming more and
more deeply interested in the detailed subject matter and daily activities of
medicine. Whatever the initial motives, they will not produce a good doctor unless
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