Abstract
In a mixed-methods longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between Erikson’s construct of generativity, measured at ages 23 and 26, and environmentalism at age 32. Over a hundred Canadian youth completed a questionnaire that measured generative concerns. Environmentalism was assessed by questionnaires on involvement, identity, and attitudes, as well as through narratives about personal experiences with the environment. Narratives were coded for meaning, vividness, and impact of environmentalism. Stronger generative concern in emerging adulthood positively predicted environmentalism after controlling for liberal political orientation and benevolence values. Qualitative analyses of the environmental narrative of participants high in generative concerns revealed three themes that highlight the developmental process that ties generative concerns to environmentalism: (1) wanting to feel more empowered to help the environment, (2) the role of having children as a focus for crystallizing environmentalism, and (3) the passing on of specific family traditions from earlier generations. Environmentalism thus may be one important domain of expression for generative care in youth.
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