“McAdams and his colleagues, while remaining somewhat committed to the idea of midlife salience of generativity, have recently recognized the difficulty of differentiating between generativity as a personal attribute, which may become particularly salient in middle adulthood as a consequence of social timing, and generativity as a relatively distinct developmental stage . . . To this end, they have begun an intensive study of adults characterized as generative, irrespective of age.”
While this predicted broadening of perspective on generativity was offered more than 25 years ago, we see little evidence of it appearing in the subsequent literature; we believe that the four role models of generativity offered in this essay begin to fulfill this prediction and potential.
The second way we use Stage comes from the world of theater. The “stage” is where drama takes place. There is the front of the stage and back of the stage. There are actors in the spotlight and other actors operating outside the spotlight. And there are some actors off stage. We make extensive use of this meaning of “stage” in part because Erik Eriksen, the psychologist who was one of the first to write about adult development stages, was himself an actor. He was fully aware of this second way the word “stage” can be used.
Throughout this essay, I will draw on this analogy to theater and describe four roles of generativity that anyone can play at any point in their life, ultimately on behalf of Personal and Collective Worth. While, as McAdams has suggested, a specific expression of generativity and search for Worth might be more commonly found at a particular point in our life because of societal expectations (“social timing” in the words of McAdams) (cf. Neugarten and Associates, 1968). I suggest that anyone can be generative in one way or another at any time in their life. Multiple forms of Personal and Collective Worth are available to us throughout life.
The Four Deep Caring Roles
In keeping with our use of the theatrical metaphor, I make extensive use of the term “role” in describing four closely related parts that people play when they care deeply and are being generative. The term “role” is being used because I believe generativity is not just about a particular way of thinking, or a specific kind of maturation (e. g., a change or improvement in one’s needs, feelings, or beliefs). While many developmental researchers focus on thinking or cognitive maturation, I focus on the role played by generativity as an activity or set of activities, for we ultimately gain a sense of Personal and Collective Worth through the actions we take and the outcomes we achieve. A generative role is played not just when we think about caring or when we need to be more caring; the role of generativity is enacted when we actively participate in deep caring. The bridge from Personal Worth to Collective Worth is built through the engagement of deep caring activities.
The “stage” is the setting in which we engage the generativity role. This role is undoubtedly influenced by changes in the way we think and feel, and the emerging needs and motivations in our mature life. However, generativity is more than this. It is about playing a role in a relationship with other people. The bridge between Personal and Collective Worth requires that we play a deep caring role. It is about engaging in good action, not just thinking good thoughts. It is about feeling gratified in having done something that tangibly benefits people and the setting in which they live and work.
