Older Women's Development: A Comparison of Women in Their 60s and 80s on a Measure of Erikson's Developmental Tasks

Abstract

This study compared older women from two age groups in order to refine and extend our understanding of women's development across the life span. Forty-one women from two cohorts aged 60 to 70 and 80 to 90 completed the Measures of Psychosocial Development (MPD), a quantitative measure of Erikson's developmental stages. Age group differences in the resolution of Erikson's identity and trust developmental tasks were found. In addition, these two groups differed on the three summary scales: totals across the positive subscales, negative subscales, and resolution subscales respectively. Implications for women's late life development and possible interventions are discussed.