Failure to Meet Generative Self-Expectations is Linked to Poorer Cognitive–Affective Well-Being

Grossman, Molli R; Gruenewald, Tara L.

doi:10.1093/geronb/gby069

Cited by 27 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…For instance, passing on a positive legacy is not always easy, as shown by Grünberg (2007) in their studies of holocaust survivors. In other cases, being unable to attain generative goals seems to hamper life satisfaction in mid-to later life (Grossman and Gruenewald, 2020), a phenomenon that has been coined by Celdrán et al (2018) as 'generative frustration'. In their study, Celdrán et al (2018) described how being an older mentor may involve bitter experiences alongside successes.…”

Section: The Contextual Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older age as a time to contribute: a scoping review of generativity in later life

2021

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Research on later-life generativity has promoted a new view of older persons that, far from the traditional images of disability, dependence and frailty, recognises their capacities, and potential to continue growing, while underlining their participation and contributions to families, communities and society. The goal of this study was to carry out a scoping review on later-life generativity, the first one conducted on this topic as far as we know, to show how studies in this area have evolved, which aspects of generativity in later life have been studied, and the methodological and epistemological approaches that are dominant in this area of inquiry. Our scoping review shows that research into generativity in later life has grown steadily over the past 30 years, and particularly during the last decade. However, our results also show how such growing interest has focused on certain methodological approaches, epistemological frameworks and cultural contexts. We identify four critical gaps and leading-edge research questions that should be at the forefront of future research into generativity in later life, gaps that reflect biases in the existing literature identified in the study. These are classified as methodological, developmental, contextual and ‘dark-side’ gaps.

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Section: The Contextual Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older age as a time to contribute: a scoping review of generativity in later life

2021

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“…Given that a shift in priorities occurs as individuals age (Carstensen et al, 1999), perhaps older individuals simply begin to prioritize goals other than generativity. Indeed, Grossman and Gruenewald (2020) found that failure to meet expectations for generativity, operationalized as the extent to which they have contributed to the welfare of others, was linked with lower life satisfaction, but this relationship was stronger in midlife and young-old individuals (i.e., individuals younger than 75) than it was in old-old individuals (i.e., individuals aged 75 and older). Such a goal shift may be more nuanced, however, as Lang and Carstensen (2002) found that older adults prioritized generative and emotion regulatory goals, whereas younger adults prioritized social acceptance and autonomy goals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Generative Concern Across Mid- to Later Life

Nelson

Bergeman

2020

The Gerontologist

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Background and Objectives The development of generativity, or investment in the next generation, has been theorized about for decades. Extant empirical findings regarding generativity’s trajectory, however, are mixed. Thus, the current study modeled the development of generative concern, or the extent to which individuals care for the next generation, across adulthood. Research Design and Methods The current study followed an accelerated longitudinal design, modeling generative concern’s trajectory across the overlapping ages of 861 age-heterogeneous participants from the 10-year Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being. Three models were fit to examine whether generative concern followed a linear, quadratic, or cubic trajectory across ages 40–84. The Final Model was tested for birth cohort effects to support the interpretation of developmental change. Results Generative concern followed an age-graded cubic trend across ages 40–84, and no birth cohort effects were apparent in this trajectory. Generative concern was highest at age 40. Although generative concern declined thereafter, it remained relatively stable across ages 50–70. Finally, generative concern declined after age 70. Discussion and Implications Generative concern, indeed, develops over time. The step-like declines across ages 40–84 are informative for both basic and applied researchers in that knowledge of this developmental trend bolsters decade-old theory and informs the optimal timing for intervention work.

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“…We employ the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) to measure subjects' life satisfaction in our survey, wellbeing is a part of happiness [44]. The SWLS is an established measure of life satisfaction and is known as a concept that is central to the research area of subjective wellbeing (SWB) (see, e.g., [21,28,82,83]). Validation is carried out across ages, countries and genders [28,37,84] and the components consist of several aspects (i.e., affective, intrinsic and extrinsic ones) [28,85].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does inquisitiveness matter for generativity and happiness?

Hirose

Kotani

2022

PLoS ONE

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Inquisitiveness (curiosity & acceptance to something and someone different) is the main engine for one person to initiate some relation, and the literature has established that maintaining nice relationships with friends, family and general others contributes to generativity and happiness. However, little is known about how generativity and happiness are characterized by inquisitiveness. We hypothesize that inquisitiveness is a fundamental determinant for generativity and happiness, empirically examining the relationships along with cognitive, noncognitive and sociodemographic factors. We conduct questionnaire surveys with 400 Japanese subjects, applying quantile regression and structural equation modeling to the data. First, the analysis identifies the importance of inquisitiveness in characterizing generativity in that people with high inquisitiveness tend to be generative. Second, people are identified to be happy as they have high generativity and inquisitiveness, demonstrating two influential roles of inquisitiveness as direct and indirect determinants through a mediator of generativity. Overall, the results suggest that inquisitiveness shall be a key element of people’s happiness through intergenerational and intragenerational communications or relations.

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Failure to Meet Generative Self-Expectations is Linked to Poorer Cognitive–Affective Well-Being

Cited by 27 publications

References 47 publications

Older age as a time to contribute: a scoping review of generativity in later life

Older age as a time to contribute: a scoping review of generativity in later life

Development of Generative Concern Across Mid- to Later Life

How does inquisitiveness matter for generativity and happiness?

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