Year: 1995
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The main task of generativity -stagnation, Erik Erikson's seventh stage of normative psychosocial development, is to establish and guide the next generation through one's acts of care.Five statuses, or prototypic styles of resolving the issues of this stage, are defined using combinations of a) an individual's level of vital involvement, or active concern for the growth of the self and others; and b) an individual's tolerance of different ideas, traditions, and values, which by extension determines the scope of caregiving concern.The Generative status is characterized by high vital involvement and tolerance, and represents the most positive psychosocial outcome.The Pseudogenerative-Agentic status is high in vital involvement and tolerance for self but not for others, while Pseudo~enerative-Communal is high in vital involvement and tolerance for others but not for self.The Conventional status, high in vital involvement for both self and others, is low in tolerance across the board.Stagnant reflects the poorest psychosocial outcome, and is low in vital involvement and tolerance generally.Some evidence for the validity of the new status model in middle-aged adults has been obtained in previous work using a sernistructured interview measure.This study established a stronger psychometric base for the Generativity Status Measure through the use of multiple coders for each interview.The study found moderate to strong stability across a two year period for interview-based generativity status ratings (N = 100 and N = 82 at respective test sessions), as well as for alternate scale measures of generativity.There was little relationship between experience of important life events, changes in general psychosocial adjustment, and shifts in generativity interview ratings across time.This study also replicated relationships between the Generativity Status Measure, alternate scale measures of generativity, and psychosocial adjustment, with Generative scoring significantly higher than Stagnant on each of these scales.Generative and Conventional prototypes were distinguished on NEO overall Openness to Experience at both testing periods, although not with Openness to Values at Time 2. Follow-up participants were administered the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems in cirumplex format as a means of further exploring status characteristics.Analyses supported Communal as experiencing more interpersonal difficulties associated with overly nurturant tendencies and Agentic as experiencing more difficulties associated with cold and dominant tendencies.At Time 2, participants also completed a self-report status measure which obtained low convergence with the interview measure, suggesting that the two tests, in their present form, measure somewhat different constructs and are not interchangeable as operationalizations of the status model.has provided me throughout my graduate career.Without his faith in my ability to create a viable model of generativity and to pursue its investigation empirically, this program of research would not exist.I am also indebted to Dr. Kim Bartholomew, who has consistently provided thoughtful advice on many matters of importance to my development as a research psychologist, including this project.Dr. Ray Koopman has helped me reach a modicum of statistical elegance, and has taught me that research design is not only an exacting, but also a compelling, intellectual pursuit.I wish to thank Sophie Bartek, Vern Eberlein, Marina Hilton, and Roy Hansen for their unflagging commitment to the project and their long hours of coding.I am also grateful to Sharlene Smith for inputting, organizing and preparing for predictive analyses the voluminous questionnaire data.Her meticulous attention to detail, and her cheerful presence in the lab, were much appreciated.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Cheryl L. Bradley
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2286189578