DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

“Having a crisis at the time is not in itself pathological. Indeed, the person who goes
through this period with minimal discomfort may be denying that his life must
change, for better or for worse. He is thus losing an opportunity for personal
development.” (Levinson, 1978, p.26)
“Finally, a developmental crisis is not solely negative. It may have both benefits and
costs. The potential costs involve anguish and pain for oneself, hurt to others, and a
less satisfactory life structure. The potential benefits involve the formation of a life
structure more suitable for the self and more viable in the world.” (Levinson, 1996,
p.35-36)
Gail Sheehy (1977) also links crisis to development. She conducted over a hundred
eight-hour interviews in order to gain the data that informed her lifespan development
theory. She sees psychological growth as a risky process that requires the intentional
cessation of safe, familiar patterns of behaviour and thought. She has a forthright
conclusion on the place of crisis in development:
“If I’ve been convinced by one idea in the course of collecting all the life stories that
inform the book, it is this: Times of crisis, of disruption or constructive change, are
not only predictable but desirable. They mean growth.” (Sheehy, 1977, p.31)
None of the writers on crisis suggest that crisis is necessary, but Levinson goes so far
as to say he has never met a single person in his research or personal who has avoided
one by the age of 65 (Levinson, 1996).
A phenomenological study of the effects of crisis on people’s lives found three
effects of crisis transitions on the persons involved (Denne and Thomson, 1991).
Firstly, it was found that after the crisis the individuals changed from a sense of
external control to a sense of internal control and agency, and thus developed a more
proactive and self-reliant approach to life. A second shift was an acceptance of the
less positive aspects of the self, while accepting previously suppressed emotions into
consciousness. Thirdly a move towards congruence between inner sense of self and
lifestyle was found, in an effort to live without a schism between self and world. This
led to what the authors termed “a progression towards a balanced relation between
self and world.” (1991, p.123)
Two psychological concepts that are closely related to crisis, trauma and
stress, have also been linked to developmental repercussions. Crisis differs from the
related concept of trauma, in that trauma is an acute, externally triggered event
whereas crisis is an episode with both inner and outer precipitating factors (Lazarus,
2000). Stress refers to the state of unpleasant tension due to high levels of
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