CHAPTER 425 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 22 Culture, Learning, and Adult Development Carolin Demuth and Heidi Keller Introduction Learning and development over the lifespan are processes that are genuinely intertwined: learning processes constitute development, and development organizes and structures learning processes. Learning processes are fundamental in reorganizing knowl- edge and meaningful structures to more advanced ways of thinking (Granott, 1995). From a lifespan approach, learning and development are lifelong processes with the fnal goal to increase adaptation of the organism to its environment (Baltes, 1987; Baltes, Lindenberger, & Staudinger, 2006). Learning and development from this perspective involve active knowledge building through meaning- making processes of lived experiences. Tis involves transformation “in human functioning and in ways of perceiving and interpreting oneself in the world and in one life narrative” (Hoare, 2009, p. 75). As such it can be considered closely linked to identity formation. Identity formation is based on learning processes in that a person engages in social exchanges and extracts from these experiences an understanding of self. In the following, we hence approach the topic of learning and development in adulthood in terms of meaning-making processes and identity formation. Meaning-making processes involve, however, not only individual aspects but also social and cul- tural dimensions that are dialogically intertwined with the individual (Bruner, 1990, 1996; Cole, 1996; Pontecorvo, 2004; Rogof, 2003; Rogof, Paradise, Arauz, Correa-Chávez, & Angelillo, 2003). Learning, development, and identity forma- tion therefore must be understood within the cultural context in which these processes take place (Ligorio, 2010). In what follows, we will give an outline of our understanding of identity formation from a Abstract One of the main developmental tasks in young adulthood is identity formation. From a sociocultural approach, we argue that identity formation and the learning processes involved are inextricably intertwined with the prevailing cultural orientations of a given social group in a specific historic time. The same holds true for our theories on development. In line with other scholars of the field we suggest that identity in modern Western societies is mainly achieved through self-narratives. One approach to study identity in young adults’ self-narratives is to investigate how autonomy and relatedness—two dimensions that we consider basic human needs—are negotiated in individuals’ autobiographical life stories. In particular, we propose that studying narrative self-constructions allows us to gain insights into how broader cultural orientations have been mediated through early socialization and individuals’ reflections on their early experiences. Keywords : culture , identity , emerging adulthood , autonomy , relatedness , (post)modernity , individualization , autobiographical narratives , Germany 22-Hoare-Ch22.indd 425 22-Hoare-Ch22.indd 425 4/19/2011 5:38:05 PM 4/19/2011 5:38:05 PM OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRST-PROOF, 20/04/2011, GLYPH