Adult Development: Cognitive Aspects of Thriving Close Relationships

Adult Development applies the concept of complex postformal thought in order to explore how certain cognitive processes support individuals' close relationships such that those relationships grow stronger and richer over time.

Jan D. Sinnott, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at Towson University in Baltimore, MD. She specializes in lifespan development applying existential, positive, trans-personal and body-mind concepts to the question of how we construct satisfying lives with others in our complex and rapidly changing environment. She developed her theory of post-formal thought during her Postdoctoral time at the National Institute on Aging (NIH) and uses it to bring order to the complex understanding necessary to create a satisfying adult lifetime. Based on her ongoing research, she has authored/coauthored over 100 scholarly and applied books and other publications applying her theory to subjects as varied as memory, mindfulness, and re-inventing the university.