The author of the above article is of the view that the study of adult behavior demands theoretical reformulations. Whenever a social scientist intends to understand human actions and the reasons for such actions, theories are always employed. However, theories must be interpreted to suit the existing environment because the contexts in which behaviors take place are different. The scholar notes that the application of theories to interpret an action without putting them into certain perspectives would always result in defective or misleading conclusions. The title was selected because few researchers are interested in conducting studies touching on adult development.
Dannefer observes that adulthood is one of the fields of research that have been neglected because no systematic study has been conducted. In particular, he notes that studies should focus on age stratification and mobility because they determine the behavior of an individual at the adulthood stage. In studies related to adulthood, researchers tend to neglect several issues, including the effects of life events and history on the behavior of individuals.
In psychological studies, several studies have been conducted regarding adult development, but such studies focus more on lifespan, leaving out the most important aspects, such as age. Dannefer (1984) posits that the trend in adulthood development research is alarming because scholars do not focus on providing primary data, but instead their major aim is to conduct a literature review on the existing body of knowledge.
He observes that sociologists have been utilizing the findings of psychologists on life cycles to come up with their findings regarding social patterns. While scholars have tried to qualify the developmental theory, the basic structure of the theory has been left untouched. This implies that the deficiencies of the theory have been addressed, but no substantial results have been generated. Scholars no longer engage in primary research to establish some of the problems that face individuals at an adulthood stage. Dannefer observes that researchers engage in editing and interdisciplinary collaboration whereby the views of previous scholars are simply analyzed, but no primary data is given.
Recently, several edited versions of essays exist, which means that there are no primary sources that would be relied upon in understanding human behavior at the adulthood stage of human development. In this regard, he advises that psychological outlines regarding life courses should be considered. Moreover, an integrated ontogenetic of sociological models ought to be employed in conducting research.
In conducting research, scholars do not incorporate adequate sample sizes and sample selection techniques in their studies. Major psychological dimensions are often neglected implying that the findings of many studies do not stand the taste of time. They are often critiqued even before they are consumed. He notes that research findings are met with suspicion because scholars employ inappropriate paradigms.
I would be comfortable using this article in writing my research paper because it gives some of the processes that ought to be followed when conducting any scientific study. The article advises that adequate sample size should be selected and the sample selection criteria should be viable (Rossi, 1980). This would lead to the generation of valid findings. Adulthood development is a wide area of study that needs careful review and adequate application of relevant theories.
References
Dannefer, D. (1984). Adult Development and Social Theory: A Paradigm Reappraisal. American Sociological Review, 49(1), 100-116.
Rossi, A.S. (1980). Life-span theory and women’s lives. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 6(1), 4-32.