DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

they can be channelled to support a deepening interest in the details of a doctor’s
arduous life.” (White, 1975, p.354)
White’s idea of nurturing and deepening interests in early adulthood fits with the
repeated examples of individuals in this study who look to find that interested and
enthusiastic involvement in an activity.
One key variable that brings a sense of intrinsic motivation is a sense of
competence (Deci and Ryan, 1985). This is a continual challenge, because as one
learns, tasks become easier and bring no challenge or sense of competence. Therefore
if one is living according to an intrinsic orientation, one is motivated to increase the
difficulties of tasks in order to maintain that sense of competence. This means that
intrinsic motivation requires growth ( Raymond-Knee et al., 2000). Correspondingly,
in the current study we find after crisis, when an intrinsic focus has been redeveloped,
that growth once again becomes a dominant concern, with individuals looking to
stretch themselves through new endeavours, new challenges and new study
programmes.
Explaining Claire’s Case
Claire is a case of crisis which leads to a prolonged period of unhappiness and
imbalance rather than bringing about the positive change and growth that others
experience in the wake of crisis. There are specific and unique systemic constraints
on Claire’s life that may explain her particular pattern and negative outcome. When
Claire comes out of her crisis she is immediately pressed to find income to pay for her
children’s education (they are both at private school), therefore she did not feel she
could take time out for that crucial exploratory and experimental phase of crisis that
characterises the post-separation period in almost all others. With these continued
extrinsic constraints, she enters the same field of work that made her so unhappy
before the crisis. The other five in this sample do not have any children at the time of
crisis and so are free to take time out to explore new possibilities. The only other
participant in the three studies who did not show much evidence of an exploratory
period was Leon in Study 1, also had a child. However Guy, Rachel and Gemma had
children too and their crises did include an experimental and exploratory period.
Another difference that is unique to Claire and may have compounded her difficulties
is that she is the only participant in all three studies who had already been through
one divorce in early adulthood prior to the crisis in her late twenties that we discussed
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