This paper outlines a theoretical approach to the problem of adult development beyond Piagetian formal operations and Kohlberg’s principled moral reasoning. Regulatory structures of the self are viewed as a higher order structure d’ensemble enabling the subject to operate adequately on reality. Higher order functioning is characterized by acceptance of contradiction and principled relativism simultaneously with the imperatives of truth in propositional contexts, truthfulness in interactions, and consistency in the self’s operations. Inability to function at both principled and contextually adequate levels produces defensive distortions of reality and thus regression below competence.

Keywords:
Adult development, Contextual relativism, Equilibration, Logical thinking, Moral development, Self-system
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© 1982 S. Karger AG, Basel
1982
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