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Review
. 2010 Jan;117(1):32-60.
doi: 10.1037/a0017668.

A motivational theory of life-span development

Jutta Heckhausen  1 , Carsten Wrosch, Richard Schulz
Affiliations
Review

A motivational theory of life-span development

Jutta Heckhausen et al. Psychol Rev. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

This article had four goals. First, the authors identified a set of general challenges and questions that a life-span theory of development should address. Second, they presented a comprehensive account of their Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development. They integrated the model of optimization in primary and secondary control and the action-phase model of developmental regulation with their original life-span theory of control to present a comprehensive theory of development. Third, they reviewed the relevant empirical literature testing key propositions of the Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development. Finally, because the conceptual reach of their theory goes far beyond the current empirical base, they pointed out areas that deserve further and more focused empirical inquiry.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothetical life-span trajectories for primary control potential and primary and secondary control striving. From Developmental Regulation in Adulthood: Age-Normative and Sociostructural Constraints as Adaptive Challenges, by J. Heckhausen, 1999, Figure 3.1., p. 72. Copyright 1999 by Cambridge University Press. Adapted with permission.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-graded sequencing of opportunities to realize various developmental goals. From Motivational Psychology of Human Development: Developing Motivation and Motivating Development, by //J. Heckhausen, 2000, Figure 1, p. 215. Copyright 2000 by Elsevier. Adapted with permission.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Age-graded opportunity structure and goal engagement for developmental goals. From Motivational Psychology of Human Development: Developing Motivation and Motivating Development, by //J. Heckhausen, 2000, Figure 2, p. 215. Copyright 2000 by Elsevier. Adapted with permission.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Action-phase model of developmental regulation. From Developmental Regulation in Adulthood: Age-Normative and Sociostructural Constraints as Adaptive Challenges, by J. Heckhausen, 1999, Figure 5.1., p. 114. Copyright 1999 by Cambridge University Press. Adapted with permission.
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