Developmental differences in the quality of life: A classroom teaching exercise

In this exercise, students examine their perceptions of normative developme ntal patterns in a number of major life domains across the adult life span. During the exercise individuals (a) identify significant dimensions of adu lt development, (b) discuss at what age each life dimension reaches its pea k and at what age each is at its worst, and (c) calculate the average quali ty of life during each decade of adulthood based on the perceived developme ntal trajectories for each dimension. The activity helps to debunk the myth that a single stage of life represents one's prime, cultivating instead th e notion that individuals reach their prime in different life domains at di fferent points in the life course. Students judged the exercise to be inter esting and of value in helping to structure their perceptions of adult deve lopment.