There are some things in life that leave your jaw hanging to the floor. Events so momentous that it's surreal. People become unlikely "rock stars" when you are a geek, and that's what happened for me at the SRCD conference.
A few semesters back I was required to take Research in Life Course Studies as part of the core curriculum for my degree. What the hell is "Life Course Studies and how is it different from everything else I've learned?" was my initial thought. And then the semester was over and I was captured by this way of thinking. It was everything that I believed all rolled into one approach. Life Course theory posits:
- Development is continuous, rather than stage based (like Piaget proposed) and continues across the life span. Development doesn't stop at adolescence, and adolescence doesn't stop at the age of 18.
-Timing matters. When an event occurs has a great impact on the individual. For instance, poverty faced by very young children fare worse than when poverty occurs in adolescence.
-People have agency that allows them to change their trajectories in life. Just because someone comes from something really good, doesn't mean that it will stay really good just because. Their life choices impacts their trajectory.
-Development is based on linked lives. People impact each other and decisions have a ripple effect on those around us.
This theory was first proposed by Glen Elder as a young academic at the University of California - Berkeley. He had longitudinal data that followed two cohorts of children raised during the Great Depression; one group age 8 and over and one group under the age of 1 at the beginning if the depression. Following their careers, service in World War II, family development, marriages, etc. he developed this theory and it has strongly impacted the way that sociologists, developmental psychologists, and human developers view human development. It has especially impacted the study of the impact of poverty on children, a topic for which I am passionate. If I weren't studying adolescent relationships I would be studying rural poverty (and likely will some day).
So, back to the story...
Friday morning I walk in to hear three papers presented on life course studies in child development. I sit down at a table and sitting at the very next table over is Glen Elder. GLEN ELDER. And then walks in Rich Lerner. And then Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (who has been CRAZY influential on my own thinking and research). Jackie Eccles was supposed to be there, but had to cancel last minute. I could not believe it. Although it wasn't publicized as such, it was a session to honor the work of Elder and to explore the magnitude of the impact it's had on contemporary research. It was an incredible experience and I just kept thinking to myself "This is like having Hendrix, Joplin, and Vaugh in the same room." I could not believe it.
I embrace my geekiness and I hope you will, too!
Rock on, Your Geekiness: you're Dr. George to me!
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Your former cohort through grant funding and present blog follower, who fully supports your every effort during this amazing journey.