DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

accompany the post-partition state. There is no holding system, no role, and no natural support. There
is new-found independence, but the potential for being sidelined or solitary.
18/07/05
A key learning the Gemma gained from the experience is that there is resistance to change, growth and
individuality built into the very fabric of society. John Stuart Mill, in his treatise ‘On Liberty’ argued
the same point – he called it the ‘tyranny of the majority’. The pressure to conform is a form of
coercion that forces individuals to succumb to the authority of the collective, rather than to a tyrant or
despot. Thus within a democratic society there is still the propensity for submerging the possibility for
genuine autonomy under the weight of public opinion, pressure for status, conformity and toeing the
line.
20.9.05
Crises as ‘bifurcation points’
When the decision is made, there is a sense of relief.
It is the two-fold life decision-point that is really key.
It is in all cases: Should I stay or should I go?
Trapped and
conflicted
Bifurcation
Point
Stay
Leave
05/12/05
Is adolescence developing a conventional self – a self that is in line and integrated into a peer group
and is dictated by norms and oughts. It is appearance-focused.
Developing a Post-Conventional Self
Self before crisis: conventional self; takes its shape by the role that is “expected” and “given” by
society
Self after crisis: post-conventional: less concerned by external dictates, more concerned by emotions
and wants, by feelings, by helping others, by a sense of “calling” or “vocation”, more creative as it has
removed the shackles of convention and the power of “should”
10/12/05
The research seems to support the telic theory of stress – it is blocked desires, not excessive demands
that surpass coping capacity, that cause stress. This fits with Lazarus’ view of stress.
Rob for example – page 3. It is the uncertainty over whether he will achieve his goal of getting
together with the girl that causes him stress – to say that his coping resources have in some sense been
exceeded, makes little sense. It is his desire that is killing him, not insufficient coping resources.
10/12/05
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