My research interests have dealt with biological, cognitive, and personality facets of human development across the entire life-span (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age), with particular attention given in recent years to: differences in physical and mental health; perceptions of personal control and other features of personality; differences as a function of age, gender, and culture; and issues of elder abuse.

Human Life Span Development

My interests in human life-span development focus on various aspects of personality and their relationship to biological, cognitive, and social development across the life span, and include gender variations at different ages and in differing cultures.

Nadien, M. B., & Denmark, F. L., (Eds.) (1999). Females and autonomy: A life-span perspective. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. This work studies major causes and effects of having (or lacking) a perceived sense of autonomy at each developmental phase (infancy and childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle age, and old age). The focus is on females, but attention is also given to males. Moreover, this volume examines adaptive and maladaptive strivings for autonomy among females (and males) at different ages and among differing cultures and ethnic groups.

Nadien, M. B. & Denmark, F. L. (1999). Setting the stage. In M. B. Nadien and F. L. Denmark (Eds.), Females and autonomy: A life-span perspective (pp. 1-9). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. This chapter discusses the meaning and connotations of autonomy, and gives a broad overview of differing perspectives and theoretical views on the nature and struggles for autonomy which occur at each life-span stage.

Nadien, M.B., & Denmark, F. L. (1999). Aging women: Stability or change in perceptions of personal control. In M. B. Nadien and F. L. Denmark (Eds.), Females and autonomy: A life-span perspective (pp. 130-154). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. This chapter considers personality factors that affect adjustment or maladjustment in old age. Stable or changing perceptions of personal control and of self are examined in terms of research and theories about disengagement, activity, and continuity, with considerable attention given to five-factor theory and Erikson’s life-span theory and associated research.

Nadien, M. B. (1980). Thechild’s psychosocial development: From birth to adolescence. Wayne, NJ: Avery. This work opens with chapters on general developmental issues and a discussion of behavioral, social-learning, psychoanalytical, and cognitive perspectives on the nature of development. Then, drawing on both theory and research, separate chapters on infancy, the pre-school years, and middle childhood examine major maturational and environmental influences on psychosocial and cognitive growth, as well as a child’s sex-role identity and moral development. Attention is given to social attachment, familial influences, and relationships with parents, teachers and peers.

Adult Years and Old Age

Nadien, M. B. (1989) Adult years and aging. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Physical, cognitive and personality features of growth and change are explored during early adulthood, the middle years, and old age in terms of a life-span approach. Emphasis is given to individual and gender differences, and to the multicausal and multidirectional development that grows out of interacting genetic, sociohistorical and contextual influences. Within the framework of four models of development and several single-domain and general domain theories, attention is given at each of three adulthood stages to stability and change in biological and sexual functioning; to quantitative and qualitative aspects of cognitive functioning; to various types of social relationships that mark marriage and alternate life styles, child rearing, parenthood, grandparenthood, divorce, work and retirement; and to adjusting to the challenge of losses in old age.

Nadien, M. B. (July/August, 2004). Gerontology programs. New York State Psychological Association Notebook, XVI, 24-25; 36.

Nadien, M. B. (May/June, 2004). Adjustment in old age. New York State Psychologist, 47.

Nadien, M. B. (2000). Gender, health and behavior among aging North Americans. In A. L.

Comunian and U. P. Gielen (Eds), Human development in international perspective (pp. 601-613). Lengerich, Germany: Pabst Science Publishers.

Elder Abuse

Nadien, M.B. (In Press, late 2006 or early 2007). Factors that influence abusive interactions between aging women and their caregivers In F. L. Denmark, H. H. Krauss, E. Halpern, & J.A. Sechzer (Eds.), Violence and exploitation against women and girls. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. New York, NY: New York Academy of Sciences. Research findings suggest that one or more factors—personality, dependency, cognitive and personality impairments, contextual factors, or severe stress—may render elders vulnerable to maltreatment and/or prone to becoming abusive of others.

Nadien, M.B. (1996). Aging women: Issues of mental health and maltreatment. In J. A. Sechzer, S. M. Pfafflin, & A. Griffin (Eds.). Women and Mental Health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 789 (pp. 129-145). New York, NY: The New York Academy of Sciences.

Nadien, M. B. (1995). Elder violence in domestic settings. In L. L. Adler (Ed.), Violence and the Prevention of Violence (pp. 177-190). Westport, CT: Praeger.

American Psychological Association
Association for Psychological Science