Two essential aspects of human psychology are personality and motivation. A person's personality defines their identity. It is a sense of being and often dictates how people respond to events happening around them. Meanwhile, motivation is the fuel for human action. People do or fail to do certain things because of the internal or external push towards achieving a particular status. For instance, if someone truly desires to be rich, they will work extremely hard and smart to achieve the goal. Of course, their success depends on other factors, but motivation will determine their undertakings. A person's personality and motivation evolve as he ages, experiences new events, and undergoes certain developmental changes. The paper discusses how the three elements' shape a person's personality and motivational goals at ages twenty, fifty, and eighty.
Twenty Years
A twenty-year-old has an entire lifetime ahead of him. Carstensen et al. (1999) suggest that people consider time to be expansive at the beginning of a particular life period. Therefore, the twenty-year-old will explore extensively. For instance, he may spend his freshman year choosing a career path. He would take time before settling on a professional. He will also seek to explore different types of friends and sexual partners. Therefore, his personality may appear to be erratic, unfocused. He will also not be highly motivated as his goals are still oblique. However, a few years later, his focus will shift to a narrower career path and friends list. Hence, age shapes his personality and motivational goals.
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Life events will also play a crucial event in the young man's life. For instance, high-school or college graduation may create a sense of maturity. Hence, he may be more responsible than he was during his teenage years. He will also start thinking about the kind of life he would want to have. His demeanor and motivation will rely heavily on how the event changes his life.
Finally, the twenty-year-old has just completed an essential developmental period: adolescence. It is a stage full of wild emotions and perceptions (Schleider & Schroder, 2018). He may have made silly mistakes that caused him to be a constant source of worry to his parents. The nurturing that he receives during that period will shape his personality and motivation (McAdams, 2001). If his parents were tough enough to ensure that he did not stray, he would develop a reasonable and respectable personality. He will also be independent enough to set out personal goals and amass the motivation he needs to accomplish them. Conversely, parent absenteeism may lead to the development of an irresponsible and dependent individual.
Fifty Years
By the time the young man turns fifty, a lot will be different. Specifically, he will reckon that he does not have a lot of productive years left. So, he may pour himself into his work to achieve at least some of his youth goals. He may also start exploring talents he had previously suppressed due to work, family, or lack of capacity (McAdams, 2001). Age may not alter his personality much, but his motivation will evolve drastically.
Conversely, life-events will have shaped his personality more than his motivation. For instance, he may have lost both parents at fifty. Therefore, he may be more compassionate than he was in his twenties. He will appreciate the family unit more and may begin spending more time with them or start one if he did not have one (Carstensen et al., 1999). His motivations will have changed slowly in the years leading to fifty, but they will be minimal.
Developmental periods will shape both his personality and motivation. He will have undergone massive changes in his career. For example, he may have experienced job loss. The unemployment period will make him appreciate employment more, and he will resolve to be more diligent after securing another position. Additionally, the period may make him more astute, as he resolves never to return to such a state. Hence, he will be highly motivated to any advantages he can find.
Eighty Years
At eighty years, his personality may be affected by his health. Illnesses may hamper his cognitive personality, and someone who knew him when he was younger may fail to recognize him. Additionally, his motivation goals will be mainly short-term as he may feel that he does not have much time to enjoy life.
Life events are the most essential at this age. The loss of friends over the years and retirement are two crucial events. Carstensen et al. (1999) suggest that as people approach end-of-life, they seek to establish salience. The old man may realize that some of his friends died without accomplishing all their goals. Therefore, he will work hard to establish a legacy. Alternatively, he may start to redefine his life to suit his satisfaction instead of providing an objective account (MacAdams, 2001). He will care about his image and position in society. Retirement will have shaped his motivational goals. He will appear to focus on events that shape his legacy, such as charity work.
The most essential developmental period will have occurred as his home becomes an empty nest. By the time he is eighty, his children will be mature and at the peak of the lives. Hence, he will not have the immediate warmth of the family. Carstensen et al. (1999) show that older parents tend to have fewer conflicts with their children. Hence, he will enjoy spending time with them and his grandchildren too. He will take better care of himself as he does not have children worrying him. The empty nest may also motivate him to assist young broken families in reconciling or living better.
Conclusion
Understanding the factors influencing people's demeanor and motivation helps psychologists relate to their patients better. Throughout his life, age, life events, and developmental periods are crucial to his personality and goals. Some changes may be deliberate will others may occur subconsciously. The hypothetical deliberation of the man's life is a narrow but accurate account of how people's personalities and goals evolve.
References
Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). American Psychologist , 54(3), 165-181.
MacAdams, D. P. (2001). The Psychology of Life Stories. Review of General Psychology , 5(2), 100-122.
Schleider, J. L. & Schroder, H. S. (2018). Implicit theories of personality across development: Impacts on coping, resilience, and mental health. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Personality and Individual Differences (pp 152-170). Sage Publications.
