DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

work that suggested crisis does occur during development (e.g. Combs, 2003;
Erikson, 1968; Forer, 1963; Levinson, 1978, 1996; Sheehy, 1976), but little that dug
down into crisis to establish what was going on during crisis episodes. Caplan’s
(1964) model is the best known theory of crisis dynamics, but is not grounded in
empirical data and is mechanistic in its language and formulation. In this strangely
barren context, this study potentially represents a contribution to understanding:
- the role that early adult crisis plays in the course of adult development;
- the role that the persona and extrinsic motivation play in the genesis of crisis;
- the importance of turning points in shaping the adult self;
- the determinants of an intrinsically motivated life structure.
But any general statements at the moment would be premature. Due to the specificity
of the demographics and the limited sample, current conclusions are no more than
suggestive of a general crisis pattern that can only be established by continued
empirical initiatives.
The applied potential of this study lies in using the model as a guide for
therapeutic practitioners to help with clients who are developmental crisis. Were this
model replicated and shown to be a general pattern, a therapist may be able to apply it
when appraising a client in crisis, for many of those in crisis do seek therapeutic help.
If a therapist upon talking to a client who was in their late twenties or thirties
considered that they were in a developmental crisis, they would be able to apply the
Chapter 9 model to identify which phase the client was in, and by doing so might be
able to provide stage-appropriate help to aid the person’s negotiation through the
transition. Making links with applied concepts and models is a valuable process, but I
must emphasise the tentative and speculative nature of these suggestions at this stage
of the theory development process.
This model, applied in a clinical context, would provide a multi-level model of
change that clinicians could use to help understand concurrent changes in motivation,
identity, experiences and life situation during periods of life stress and transition. The
following are suggestive examples for how a general model could be applied within a
therapeutic setting.
Stage 1 Therapeutic Context
Elements of the aforementioned Assimilation Model may aid in Stage 1. This
model emphasises the importance of making clear and unambiguous statements about
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