The article adopts a developmental approach to successful human aging by exploring the concept of generativity in relation to a study of older Australians' lived experiences of involvement in the family and community. Qualitative data, collected through focus group interviews, were analyzed interpretively using recent developments in Erikson's theory of generativity as a framework. As a result, the present study contributes an in-depth understanding of the role of generative acts to the lives of older people. The data provide illustrative support for Erikson's contention of a generativity/stagnation crisis in later life. Involvement in the family and community is seen as a productive and generative activity, which promotes a positive experience of aging. Two further emergent themes are also explored. First, the experiences of study participants illustrate the reciprocal and cyclical nature of grand-generativity, and the importance of intergenerational relationships. Finally, the data contribute to our knowledge of cultural generativity, and in particular the passing on of cultural knowledge through narratives and modeling.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AckermanS.ZuroffD. C.MoskowitzD. S. (2000). Generativity in midlife and young adults: Links to agency, communion and subjective well-being. InternationalJournal of Aging and Human Development, 50, 17–41.
2.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999). Older People, Australia: A Social Report. Publication 4109.0. Canberra: Author.
3.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001). Queensland Year Book. Publication 1301.3. Canberra: Author.
4.
BellizziK. M. (2004). Expressions of generativity and post-traumatic growth in adult cancer survivors. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 58, 267–287.
5.
BourkeC.BourkeE.EdwardsB. (1998). Aboriginal Australia: An introductory reader in Aboriginal studies. St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press.
6.
BradleyC. L. (1997). Generativity—stagnation: Development of a status model. Developmental Review, 17, 262–290.
7.
CohlerB. J.HostetlerA. J.BoxerA. M. (1998). Generativity, social context and lived experience: Narratives of gay men in middle adulthood. In McAdamsD. P.de St. AubinE. (Eds.), Generativity and adult development: How and why we care for the next generation (pp. 265–309). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
8.
de St. AubinE.McAdamsD. P. (1995). The relations of generative concern and generative action to personality traits, satisfaction with life, and ego development. Journal of Adult Development, 2, 99–112.
9.
de St. AubinE.McAdamsD. P.KimT. C. (Eds.). (2004). The generative society: Caring for future generations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Society.
10.
EriksonE. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: W. W. Norton.
11.
EriksonE. H. (1963). Childhood and society. New York: W. W. Norton.
12.
EriksonE. H. (Ed.). (1968). Identity and the life cycle: Selected papers. New York: International Universities Press.
13.
EriksonE. E.EriksonJ. M.KivnickH. Q. (1986). Vital involvement in old age. New York: W. W. Norton.
14.
FranzC. E.WhiteK. M. (1985). Individuation and attachment in personality development: Extending Erikson's theory. Journal of Personality, 53, 225–256.
15.
GilliganC. (1993). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
16.
GreenfieldE. A.MarksN. F., (2004). Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults' psychological well-being. The Journals of Gerontology, 59B, S258–264.
GrbichC. (1999). Qualitative research in health. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
19.
HamachekD. E. (1988). Evaluating self-concept and ego development within Erikson's psychosocial framework: A formulation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 66, 354–360.
20.
HenkinN.KingsonE. (1999). Advancing an intergenerational agenda for the twenty-first century. Generations, 22, 99–105.
21.
JolleyJ. M.MitchellM. L. (1996). Lifespan development: A topical approach. Boston MA: McGraw Hill.
22.
KaneR. (1996). From generation to generation: Thoughts on legacy. Generations, 20, 5–9.
23.
KingD. A.WynneL. C. (2004). The emergence of “family integrity” in later life. Family Process, 43, 7–21.
24.
KotreJ. (1984). Outliving the self: Generativity and the interpretation of lives. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
25.
KotreJ. (2004). Generativity and culture: What meaning can do. In de St. AubinE.McAdamsD. P.KimT. C. (Eds.), The generative society: Caring for future generations (pp. 35–50). Washington, DC: American Psychological Society.
26.
KreftingL. (1991). Rigor in qualitative research: The assessment of trustworthiness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 45(3), 214–222.
27.
KruegerR. A. (1994). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research, (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
McAdamsD. P.de St. AubinE. (1992). A theory of generativity and its assessment through self-report, behavioral acts, and narrative themes in autobiography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 1003–1015.
34.
McAdamsD. P.de St. AubinE. (Eds.). (1998). Generativity and adult development: How and why we care for the next generation. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
35.
McAdamsD. P.de St. AubinE.LoganR. L. (1993). Generativity among young, midlife, and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 8, 221–230.
36.
McAdamsD.P.LoganR.L. (2004). What is generativity? In de St. AubinE.McAdamsD. P.KimT. C. (Eds.), The generative society: Caring for future generations (pp. 265–272). Washington, DC: American Psychological Society.
37.
McConchieP. (Ed.). (2003). Elders: Wisdom from Australia's Indigenous leaders. Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
38.
MillerP.H. (1993). Theories of developmental psychology (3rd ed.) New York: W. H. Freeman.
39.
Miner-RubinoK.WinterD. G.StewartA. J. (2004). Gender, social class, and the subjective experience of aging: Self-perceived personality change from early adulthood to late midlife. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 1599–1610.
MorfeiM. Z.HookerK.CarpenterJ.MixC.BlakeleyE. (2004). Agentic and communal generative behavior in four areas of adult life: Implications for psychological well-being. Journal of Adult Development, 11, 55–58.
42.
PetersonB. E. (2002). Longitudinal analysis of midlife generativity, intergenerational roles and caregiving. Psychology and Aging, 17, 161–168.
43.
PetersonB. E.DuncanL. E. (1999). Generative concern, political commitment, and charitable actions. Journal of Adult Development, 6, 105–118.
44.
PetersonB. E.KlohnenE. C. (1995). Realization of generativity in two samples of women at midlife. Psychology and Aging, 10, 20–29.
45.
PetersonB. E.SmirlesK. A.WentworthP. A. (1997). Generativity and authoritarianism: Implications for personality, political involvement, and parenting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1202–1216.
46.
PetersonB. E.StewartA. J. (1996). Antecedents and contexts of generativity motivation at midlife. Psychology and Aging, 11, 21–33.
47.
RanzijnR. (2001). Motivation for productive aging in Australia. Hallym International Journal of Aging, 3, 95–113.
48.
RanzijnR. (2002). Towards a positive psychology of aging: Potentials and barriers. Australian Psychologist, 37, 79–85.
49.
SheldonK. M.KasserT. (2001). Getting older, getting better? Personal strivings and psychological maturity across the life span. Developmental Psychology, 37, 491–501.
50.
SlaterC. L. (2003). Generativity versus stagnation: An elaboration of Erikson's adult stage of human development. Journal of Adult Development, 10, 53–65.
51.
SnareyJ. (1993). How fathers care for the next generation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
52.
SnyderM.ClaryE. G. (2004). Volunteerism and the generative society. In de St. AubinE.McAdamsD. P.KimT. C., (Eds.), The generative society: Caring for future generations (pp. 221–238). Washington, DC: American Psychological Society.
53.
van ManenM. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Ontario, Canada: State University of New York Press.
54.
WarburtonJ.McLaughlinD. (2005). Lots of little kindnesses. Valuing the role of older Australians as informal volunteers in the community. Ageing and Society, 25, 715–730.
55.
WarburtonJ.McLaughlinD. (in press). Productive in later life: How older Australians from diverse cultural backgrounds contribute to civil society. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, Accepted June 2006.
56.
WestermeyerJ. F. (2004). Predictors and characteristics of Erikson's life cycle model among men: A 32-year longitudinal study. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 58, 29–48, 2004
57.
WilsonJ.MusickM. (1997). Who cares? Toward an integrated theory of volunteer work. American Sociological Review, 62, 694–713.
