| Description |
Successful development can be assessed from two perspectives: from the actual (as a successful functioning) or developmental perspective (as a lifelong process) (e.g. Pulkkinen, Nygren, Kokko, 2002). In Brno Longitudinal Study (BLS), we focused on the successful development in the context of lifelong development. Data comes from a longitudinal study, which has been running since 1961. The current sample includes 83 participants (35 men and 48 women, aged 47-50 years). Successful development is understood as the interplay of social (external) and psychological (internal) characteristics. Among the social characteristics we included parental socioeconomic status (SES; education and employment), school achievement, current SES, marital status, career orientation (career stability and unemployment), and risky behavior. Among the psychological characteristics were included: relationship with parents during childhood and adolescence, self - esteem, extraversion and neuroticism measured in adolescence; self -esteem, self -efficacy, extraversion, neuroticism, and subjective health measured in middle adulthood. Based on cluster analysis, we have created typology that takes into account the components of social and psychological functioning. Typology includes three basic groups: lifelong adaptive functioning, lifelong non-adaptive functioning and adaptive functioning in adulthood. People from lifelong adaptive functioning group had above average school achievement, self-esteem and extraversion and low neuroticism in adolescence. In adulthood they had the highest education, self-esteem, the best subjective health and low neuroticism. Lifelong non-adaptive functioning persons had average school performance, low self-esteem, lowest extraversion and highest neuroticism in adolescence. They had the lowest SES, self -efficacy and self - esteem, high neuroticism and subjective worst health in middle adulthood. Adaptive functioning in adulthood group had the worst academic performance, below-average self-esteem and extraversion and neuroticism above average in adolescence. On the contrary, they had the highest self -efficacy and self-esteem above average and the highest occupational status in adulthood. Other characteristics (e.g. marital status, career orientation, risk behavior) in these groups did not show a significant difference.
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