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

Abstract

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.

The Role of Generativity in Later Life in the Case of Productive Activities: Does the Type of Active Aging Activity Matter?

“…Our first hypothesis posited that generative concern would be higher among older people engaging in community-oriented activities than among people engaging in self-oriented ones, but this was not supported by the results. The use of a short, ready-to-use scale such as the Loyola Generativity Scale (McAdams & de St. Aubin, 1992), which assesses generativity as a stable disposition similar to a personality trait (Villar et al, 2021) may account for this lack of differences among the four groups of active aging activities considered in this study.…”

“…Despite this initial focus on middle age, some authors have claimed that in a time that is witnessing an unprecedented rise in life expectancy and gains in later life health and education, generativity might play a key role in explaining older people’s engagement with interests and activities, and consequently in promoting active aging lifestyles (e.g., Kruse & Schmitt, 2012; Schoklitsch & Baumann, 2012; Villar, 2012; Villar & Serrat, 2021). Burgeoning empirical studies on generativity and later life seem to support such a role (Villar et al, 2021), but no studies to date have compared the role of generativity in different active aging activities. In this respect, if both generativity and community-oriented activities have at their core the idea of contributing to others, it could be hypothesized that generativity would play a more important role in community-oriented than in self-oriented activities.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that generative concern is positively associated with a range of activities in later life, including volunteering (Son & Wilson, 2011), political participation (Serrat et al, 2017), and participation in third age universities (Moisset de Espanés et al, 2015). However, research on generative concern, boosted by the existence of a short, ready-to-use scale such as the Loyola Generativity Scale (McAdams & de St. Aubin, 1992), has overshadowed other dimensions that go beyond the concept of generativity as an intra-individual, stable disposition (Villar et al, 2021).…”

The World Health Organization's impacts on age‐friendly policymaking: A case study on Australia

“…Beyond accessibility, such a strong emphasis on care and support services also reflects these governments' ideas of ageing, one that focuses on older persons' diminishing abilities, and as a mounting cost to taxpayers (Judd et al, 2020;Moore, 2021). Such a portrayal of older persons is in strong contrast to the increase in academic and community attention on the Third Age and on Positive Ageing, both of which highlight the active contributions older persons can make within and outside their households (Ayalon & Tesch-Römer, 2018;Keeble-Ramsay, 2018;Villar et al, 2021).…”

Understanding the Relational Dynamics of Chilean Rural Teachers: Contributions from a Narrative-Generative Perspective

“…On the other hand, the study of teacher generativity is incipient, with some general contributions in the Spanish [20][21][22], Mexican [23] and Peruvian [24] contexts. In the Chilean context, there are studies aimed at exploring the construct in older people [25][26][27][28].…”