Personal Control over Development: Effects on the Perception and Emotional Evaluation of Personal Development in Adulthood.

DİLARA ALTANGÜLSEN BALLI

Personal Control over Development: Effects on the

Perception and Emotional Evaluation of Personal

Development in Adulthood

INTRODUCTION

Personal control over development affects the individual’s specific development. Also there is a strong relationship between development and expectancies, values and beliefs because these are the factors that shape the development. The tendency to study about development-related control activities has increased because that is important part of human action over the lifetime.

Generally developmental psychology interested with individual’s interaction with social and natural environment but this concept which is personal control over development different from other aspects. This concept has addressed the intentional or planned control activities. Intentional or planned control activities helps to individual for arrange the balance of gains and losses. Values, expectancies and control beliefs help to regulate actions.

Especially in adolescence and early adulthood action plans will be more important. This means that belief-value systems linked with personal development. Taking responsibility, autonomy and personal identity becomes more important for people and this also explains the importance of personal control over development through the adulthood and aging.

Development and aging process is different for different people. Inter-individual differences have important role on development related control activities and emotional evaluating of personal development in adulthood.

PARTICIPANTS

634 married couples Age interval was 30 to 59 The couples were grouped according to

ages. There were 5 groups

30-35 36-41 42-47 48-53 54-59

VARIABLES

Questionnaire used for data collection Focused to theoretical notions

Personal Evaluation of developmental goals Perceived distance from and approach toward

developmental goals Subjectively perceived resources of

developmental control and support Emotional Evaluation of personal

development Behavioral Preferences and tendencies

AGGREGATION OF VARIABLES

Researchers did two type studies for this article and they benefit from aggregation theory

Aggregation theory: The approach which has statistical advantages with regard to reliability and distributional quality of measurements. Theoretical approach usually collect data from groups not individuals

ANALYSES OF DATA – STUDY 1

Method Path analyses were used

Combine different aggregate indicators and search for any correlation or relation

Such as relation between control beliefs and depression

RESULTS According to correlation data on path-

analytic solution; Low personal control over development

cause to cumulative developmental deficits and low subjective developmental attainment.

In addition findings indicate that a supportive marital relationship has a protective function in this respect.

ANALYSES OF DATA – STUDY 2 METHOD

Two ANOVAs were used to examine effects of personal control over development on different dimensions with the regard to possible interaction with age and gender.

Both analyses involved four factors: Personal control over development (C) Age cohort (A) Sex (S) Goal dimension (G)

Dependent variables were: perceived distances from developmental goals (for ANOVA 1) and subjective potential for progress on goal dimensions (for ANOVA 2)

ANOVA 1

Effects of G: Highly significant main effect Indicates that perceived distances from

developmental goals vary. with the goal dimension considered

Effects of S: Female subject significantly experience

larger developmental deficits

Effects of C:

Significantly indicates that ; high scores on the index variable of personal control are clearly associated with lower subjective developmental deficits.

ANOVA 2

Effects of G: Significantly showed that subjective

potential to achieve developmental progress clearly depends on the goal dimension

Effects of A: Significantly show that: regarding to age,

subjective potential for developmental progress decrease

Effects of S:

Females are greater subjective potential for developmental progress than male respondents

Effects of C:

Highly significant

Individuals with self-percepts of high personal control; give a more favorable account of their actual developmental situation

They also evaluate more positively their prospects for achieving further developmental progress through determined efforts.

SUMMARY AND GENERAL DISCUSSION

The aim of the study was to investigate consequences and correlates of development related control beliefs on perception and emotional evaluation of personal development in adulthood. Questionnaire data was used. Questions were designed to analyze different aspects of personal development.

PERSONAL CONTROL OVER DEVELOPMENT AND DEPRESSION

It was observed that low control over development has a significant impact on depression. It means that there is a negative correlation between depression and personal control over development. Participants who have low PCD tend to feel more depressed, weak and unhappy but people who have high Personal control over development tend to feel hopeful, powerful and positive towards to daily life or problems encouraged everyday life. Cross-sectional comparisons of that sample show that; “perceived control over personally relevant is accompanied by and increases with age, and that is decrease is accompanied by an increasingly depressive outlook on personal development.” (Brandtstadter, Krampen,&Greve,1987).

SELF-CORRECTIVE TENDENCIES

Self - regulation related with personal control over development and it includes self-monitoring. Self- regulation divided in to two parts which are primary control (changing the world) and secondary control (changing the self). Self-corrective tendencies are more closed with secondary control. Consequently results showed that, firstly we need to focus on initial conditions of the insufficient aspects of the personal development for changing one’s own behavior. Also self-correction can cause gap between real and ideal self. Moreover, it can cause identity crises. Also results about self corrective tendencies presented that, subjective developmental factors that can improve the corrective tendencies.

There are two types of motivator for self corrective action.

1. Negative evaluation of actual developmental prospects

2. Positive evaluation of changes to improve developmental prospects by active intervention

Furthermore; Personal control development increase the corrective tendencies but PCD linked with high levels of subjective developmental attainment.

 Briefly, self corrective tendencies can be use as a coping strategies for identity or developmental problems.

PERSONAL CONTROL OVER DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECTIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PROSPECTS

Results of Anova shows that; personal control over development has

significant effect on someone’s personal expectancies and achievement during the development process.

High personal control over development affect one’s emotional development positively.

Participants who are female report a lower level of goal attainment than male

Male participants feel more close to their personal limits of developmental attainment.

(gender differences is not significant for PCD) There is a negative correlation between

age and PCD

REFERENCES

Brandtstadter, J., Krampen, G., & Greve, W. (1987). Personal control over

development: Effects on the perception and emotional evaluation of personal

development in adulthood. International Journal of Behavioral

Development,10(1), 99-120.

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