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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.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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