NORMATIVE CONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE LIFE-COURSE AND THEIR IMPACT ON ADULTS GOAL FOR DEVELOPMENT

The research program reported in this talk is focused on adults' conce ptions about developmental change throughout adulthood. Conceptions ab out normative (i.e., typical or standard) developmental change in adul thood is expected to influence various aspects of people's behavior ad dressed at developmental or age-related phenomena. Among these are the way they perceive other people at certain ages. The former phenomenon will be the primary focus of this talk. In a series of studies we hav e investigated the degree of inter-individual consensus in normative d evelopmental conceptions as well as their content in terms of expectat ions about change, its age-related timing, and its perceived controlla bility. Moreover, the relation between developmental expectations for the self and for ''most other people'' has been explored. We have foun d many similarities but also characteristic differences especially wit h regard to late middle adulthood and old age. Finally, we have studie d people's current intentions for developmental change of the self as they relate to their normative developmental expectations for their ow n age group.