Generativity

Generativity is the seventh stage of psychosocial development, as proposed by Erik Erikson (1902–1994). Generativity tends to occur in middle to late life. It results in a distinct desire to make an impact on the next generation. People who experience generativity tend to feel concern for the generation following their own and wish to make an impact on the world that will outlast them.

Many people experiencing generativity respond to these feelings by starting a family. Starting a family allows people to directly raise some of the next generation, offering them a chance to pass their experience and skills to their children. Others turn to mentoring, finding a younger friend or co-worker to guide or tutor. Those who fail to find some way to pass on their skills and experience often succumb to the negative feelings associated with stagnation.

Background

Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 15, 1902. He attended art school and then found employment as an art teacher. In the 1920s, Erikson met Anna Freud, who introduced the artist to psychoanalysis. He studied child psychoanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute and then emigrated from Germany to the United States. Erikson found employment at Harvard Medical School before teaching at many other medical schools and institutions.

Erikson helped broaden the field of psychology to include the impacts of societal change. He studied the interactions between different generations, as well as the impacts that different societal changes had on each generation. These included changes in gender roles, racial tensions, and the threat of nuclear war.

Erikson proposed that humans traveled through stages of psychosocial development. According to his theories, each person travels through eight stages. The first stage, trust versus mistrust, takes place between birth and twelve months of age. During this stage, the infant must learn that its caregivers can be trusted. The second stage, autonomy versus shame and doubt, takes place during the toddler years. During this stage, the child establishes its independence and ability to interact with its environment. The third stage, initiative versus guilt, typically takes place between three and six years old. Children in this stage must learn to plan and achieve their own goals. The fourth stage, industry versus inferiority, takes place between ages six and twelve. Children in this age bracket must develop a sense of pride in themselves and their accomplishments.

The next stage, identity versus role confusion, takes place during adolescence. During this stage, adolescents attempt to forge and discover their adult identities. Identity versus role confusion is followed by intimacy versus isolation, during which they learn to share their lives with others. Once that has been accomplished, they enter generativity versus stagnation. Finally, towards the end of life, Erikson theorized that people pass into the integrity versus despair stage. During this time, people look back on their lives and feel a sense of satisfaction or a sense of failure.

Overview

Generativity refers to a general concern for the establishment and guidance of the next generation. Throughout human history, each generation has tended to worry that the next generation will repeat the mistakes or fail to live up to the standards of the current generation. In Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, generativity tends to occur in the middle of adulthood, between the ages of forty and sixty-five.

Individuals experiencing generativity often desire to make their mark on the world. They want to make a positive impact on the next generation and are often motivated by the desire to be remembered or to make a societal change that will outlast them. In this stage, individuals fear stagnation. Erikson defined stagnation as feelings of disconnection with society and a failure to contribute to society.

Many characteristics and activities are common to individuals feeling generativity. Some people react by having children, or otherwise starting a family. They believe that by having and raising children, they will have a positive impact on the next generation. They can teach their children lessons they learned throughout their lives, thus helping a future generation avoid repeating the mistakes of its predecessors. If the children are successful in their endeavors, the parent may feel as if they share some of the child's success. If someone experiencing generativity cannot start a family, they may begin mentoring a younger co-worker or acquaintance. This can produce many of the same feelings of satisfaction as raising children, though often to a lesser degree.

Some people experiencing generativity also experience a midlife crisis. People having a midlife crisis often feel a profound sense of regret. They look back at their lives and their choices and struggle to come to terms with mistakes or missed opportunities. They might regret friendships that have fallen by the wayside, a lack of commitment to a particular career, and dreams that they have failed to fulfill. In many cases, individuals experiencing these sensations seek to counsel younger people. They hope to help younger people avoid the same choices that led to their sense of regret.

Unlike many other life stages, generativity does not have a specific age range in which it occurs. Instead, it tends to be triggered by life events. Marriage, having children, and settling into a long-term workplace routine are common triggers for generativity. Each of these events can happen anywhere from young adulthood to the end of middle adulthood.

Positive responses to generativity include increased inclusivity, pride in the next generation, a sense of responsibility, increased productivity, honesty towards the self, and parenthood. Cultivating these traits tends to lead to positive feelings after generativity has passed. Negative reactions to generativity include exclusivity, embarrassment, ambivalence, feelings of inadequacy, self-absorption, and denial. Cultivating these traits tends to lead to stagnation.

Bibliography

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