Social Inequality Across the Life Course: Societal Unfolding and Individual Agency
Title
Social Inequality Across the Life Course: Societal Unfolding and Individual Agency
Author
Heckhausen, Jutta
Research Area
Social Processes
Topic
Life Course
Abstract
Social inequality is rising around the globe with devastating consequences for individuals and societies. Modern societies allow social mobility but vary greatly in the extent and means by which it is hampered or facilitated at different points in the life course. Motivational and lifespan developmental psychology view individuals as agents of their development, and specify sequential models and strategies for adaptive developmental agency. Individual differences in planful goal selection, optimism, action‐orientation, and goal disengagement capacities are critical for adaptive developmental agency, especially under conditions of major age‐graded changes in opportunities, unexpected losses, or increasing uncertainty and destabilization of life courses.