Jack J. Bauer

Growth Goals, Maturity, and Well-Being.

In 2 studies (125 college students and 51 adults), 2 forms of growth goals (exploratory and intrinsic) were compared with 2 forms of personality development (social-cognitive maturity and social-emotional well-being). Participants whose narratives of major life goals emphasized conceptual exploration were especially likely to have high levels of maturity (measured as ego development; J. Loevinger, 1976), whereas those whose goals emphasized intrinsic interests (K. M. Sheldon & T. Kasser, 1995) were especially likely to have high levels of well-being. Participants who had coherent hierarchies of growth goals on the levels of major life goals and everyday goals were especially likely to have high levels of personality development. Finally, growth goals accounted for some relationships between age and personality development. Growth goals are discussed in terms of intentional self-development and specific developmental paths.

Do Students Learn Course Material during Crib Sheet Construction

We experimentally investigated the effect of crib sheet construction and use on student learning and exam performance. Students expected to use their prepared crib sheets during testing; however, unexpectedly they first completed a pretest without their crib sheets. Students scored significantly better on the same questions with crib sheets compared to their performance without their sheets, signifying that constructing crib sheets did not enhance learning, but use enhanced performance. Students who expect to use crib sheets during testing rely on the sheet for information, suggesting that students do not learn the course material as well when they expect to use a crib sheet.

Self-Actualizing: Where Ego Development Finally Feels Good?

This article addresses a paradox surrounding psychosocial maturity and self-actualizing in relation to well-being. Several stage theories of maturity (notably ego development; Loevinger, 1976) culminate in self-actualizing, which Maslow (1968) characterizes as the pinnacle of psychological health and well-being. However, empirical measures of maturity and well-being do not correlate. In a reanalysis of three datasets, we find preliminary support for the notion that people scoring at the highest stage of Loevingers ego development might have higher levels of well-being and narrate a more growth-focused self-identity than people scoring at all other stages. Drawing on Eriksons (1959/1994) claim that the acceptance of lifes complexities underlies ego integrity, we attempt to provide a theoretical explanation for how well-being might emerge normatively at the highest stage of psychosocial maturity.

Eudaimonic Growth: The Development of the Goods in Personhood (or: Cultivating a Good Life Story)

Eudaimonic growth refers to the development of the varied goods of personhood over time. This chapter summarizes a theory of eudaimonic growth in three parts. In the first section of the chapter we consider a model of a good life that focuses on personhood and its development. In this model, eudaimonic well-being is defined as the wellness of one’s being. Hedonic pleasure and eudaimonic meaning are explained as two, irreducible features of a good life. The term “meaning” refers to the canonical goods of eudaimonia, such as wisdom, moral virtue, meaningfulness, self-actualization, and growth. In the second section we examine the idea of eudaimonic growth specifically, distinguishing eudaimonic, humanistic, and organismic value orientations as well as distinguishing growth valued from growth attained. In the third section we consider relations between eudaimonic growth and self-identity. The person who identifies with the idea of eudaimonic growth has what I call a transformative self. I take a narrative perspective on meaning-making and self-identity over time. The person constructs a transformative self in his or her life story, forming a narrative self-identity that features eudaimonic growth as a central theme. Such a life story borrows from cultural master narratives of eudaimonic growth, both reflecting and fostering cultural ideals of the good within the person’s life. We consider limitations of the person’s physical and social conditions that hinder one’s actualizing these ideals for eudaimonic growth. Finally, self-actualizing is presented as the development of self-authorship from independence to authenticity in a process of psychosocial maturation.

Meaning‐Making, Self‐Determination Theory, and the Question of Wisdom in Personality

Self-determination theory (SDT) has advanced the most comprehensive model of motives for human flourishing in the field of personality psychology and beyond. In this article, we evaluate SDT relative to the process of meaning making, particularly from a narrative perspective, showing what SDT can and cannot explain about the construction of self-identity and its relation to human flourishing. On the one hand, SDT explains how subjective assessments of need fulfillment drive the process of self-determined living. The internal motives that follow such fulfillment serve as important themes in peoples life stories that predict several markers of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. On the other hand, SDTs focus on subjective fulfillment limits what SDT can explain about how wisdom, which is a canonical good of both eudaimonia and meaning making, helps people make sense of lifes more difficult or unfulfilling events. SDT may facilitate a facet of wisdom that is more subjective and experiential but not the critical facet of wisdom defined by objectively more complex structures of interpretation.

The Quiet Ego: Concept, Measurement, and Well-Being

This chapter shows how the qualities of a quiet ego counter the egotism of the noisy ego. Far from a squashed, deflated, or silenced ego, the quiet ego comes from a place of non-defensive strength. The quiet ego is a self-identity nurtured through deliberate reflection and endorsement of four values that promote balance and growth: detached awareness, inclusive identification, perspective-taking, and growth-mindedness. A quieter ego is a compassionate and regulated ego—a self-identity that strengthens thoughts, feelings, and behavior congruent with eudaimonic well-being. In this chapter, we describe the concept of quiet ego, its measurement, and its application to finding meaning and well-being in everyday life.