{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.01729559748427673, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.279605263157895, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 1, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Adult Life Phases: Blueprint for Staff Development Planning

The stages of adult development can be the basis for creative and productive professional development programming. While current articles and books describe implications of adult development for adult learners, implications for faculty and staff as developing individuals have been given only minimal attention. Those who teach and manage in the community college are also adults progressing through life phases. People have long recognized that life progresses through a series of phases. A fourteenth century anonymous poet compared life stages to the months of the year. Shakespeare in his play, As You Like It, immortalized seven stages of development. Only recently, however, have researchers initiated serious studies of the life cycle beyond the adolescent years. A synthesis of the major findings by researchers cited in the bibliography indicates that adults develop through a series of predictable phases. These phases include periods of stability and periods of transition. In the stable periods, a life structure is built. In the transitions, what has been built is reappraised. Reappraisal comes about as a result of conflict-internal conflict, such as ego needs, or external conflict, such as a new job responsibility. How people cope with conflict during transition phases will determine whether there is growth or regression. Adults can continue to grow and develop in every life phase. Growth and development require new learning. The need and opportunity for new learning, however, may not be sufficient stimulus to motivate a person to engage in professional development activities. Research suggests that there may be "teachable moments" prompted by the reappraisals of the transition periods or by significant life events such as physical setbacks or job promotions. In planning professional development programs for community