Lifespan Development Job Talk - From the Cradle to the Grave: Tracking the Antecedents and Consequences of Relational Development across the Lifespan

Abstract:  Lifespan development theories often postulate that social relationships are consequential for individuals over the entirety of their lives. However, most research will often test this idea in a piecemeal fashion—focusing primarily on early life or young adulthood. This talk provides a lifespan perspective for how relationships—and relational traits—change across the lifespan, with particular attention paid to how context may or may affect the malleability of these processes. Using cross-cultural, longitudinal, and archival data sources, I will provide attendees with a more holistic understanding of the conditions under which social characteristics change across the entirety of a person’s life—from the cradle to the grave.