In recent years, several studies have produced data showing apparent changes in early
adult life of psychological life trajectories, changes that have been labelled
"turning points". The concept, and the phenomena that gave rise to it, are
critically reviewed in relation to developmental psychopathology. It is concluded
that a wide range of experiences have been associated with such changes; that the
experiences associated with them span those over which the individual has no control
and those subject to individual choice and actions; that the key features associated
with change usually involve particular qualities of experiences as they impinge on
subsegments of the population (rather than universal life phase transitions); that
the experiences are not synonymous with stressful life events; and that changes in
life trajectory may reflect genetic programming or internal biological alterations
rather than external happenings. Also, major life experiences may accentuate, rather
than alter, individual characteristics. It is concluded that turning point effects
represent a heterogeneous range of lasting changes in psychological functioning.
They are important because their investigation may shed important light on
developmental processes. They do not represent a simple mechanism and hence
there is no hypothesis about a particular process to test, but their study is
nevertheless crucial for an understanding of developmental continuities and
discontinuities. Some of the key methodological issues in their investigation are reviewed.
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