The role of parenting in men's psychosocial development: A longitudinal study of early adulthood infertility and midlife generativity.

Abstract

Of a sample of 343 married men, prospectively studied for four decades, 52 (15.2%) experienced infertility in their first marriage. Styles of coping with their difficulty in achieving parenthood were considered across three longitudinal phases: initial substitutes, subsequent parenting resolutions, and final marital outcomes. The ability of coping strategies used in earlier phases to predict adaptation during later phases of adjustment was considered, as was the relation between coping strategies and the subsequent achievement of generativity as defined by Erik Erikson. Results indicated that the men's parenting resolutions, marital outcomes, and midlife achievement of psychosocial generativity were predictable at statistically significant levels, on the basis of knowledge of their prior infertility coping strategies and parenting outcomes. The findings lend support to the Eriksonian idea that parenting during early adulthood is a crucial but not sufficient prior condition for the midlife achievement of psychosocial generativity.

The Role of Generativity in Psychological Well-Being: Does it Differ for Childless Adults and Parents?

“…One exception, however, was a difference in the effect between recalled parental attributes and psychological well-being for men, where the association was significantly stronger for childless men than for fathers. This finding is puzzling because we did not see any other differences in developmental outcomes for men in our study, although past research has found lower generativity for childless men compared to fathers (McAdams and de St. Aubin 1992;Snarey et al 1987). It is possible that for childless men, early childhood experiences are more persistent in shaping later development because these men tend to maintain weaker connections with their families in adulthood than do fathers.…”

“…If future studies are able to account for the reasons for childlessness, they may shed new light on the complex developmental issues assessed herein. Classifying non-parents more specifically based on voluntary versus involuntary childlessness may also explain some of the inconsistencies in findings between the current study and others suggesting greater importance of parenthood for men's generativity development and overall well-being (Hawkins and Dollahite 1997;McAdams et al 1993;Snarey et al 1987).…”

“…Erikson viewed generativity, which primarily involves concern and care for others, as the critical developmental task of midlife. Though he noted that parenthood is neither necessary nor sufficient for achieving generativity, much research posits that parenthood is central in promoting the development of generativity (Snarey et al 1987;Vaillant and Milofsky 1980). Empirical support for this view comes from work by McAdams and de St. Aubin (1992), based on adults between the ages of 19 and 68 years.…”

Gender, Adult Development, and Aging

“…McAdams and de St. Aubin (1992) found that, although adult women had the highest levels of generativity when compared to adult men and college-age women and men, having children was more strongly linked with generativity for men than it was for women: Fathers scored higher on generativity than men without children did, whereas there was no significant difference between women with or without children. Similarly, Snarey, Son, Kuehne, Hauser, and Vaillant (1987), in a study of men's infertility coping patterns and parenting outcomes, found that earlier parenting predicted achievement of mid-life generativity among men. Stewart and Vandewater (1998) argued that generativity itself has different phases or periods-desire, capacity, and accomplishment-which they saw as creating a developmental arc.…”

Treating Faith‐Based Infertile Couples Using Cognitive‐Behavioral Counseling Strategies: A Preliminary Investigation

“…The belief is that the entrance of a child into the home lessens the emotional problem for the women, hence their ability to conceive. However, other studies show that the percentage of couples who adopt a child/children and then become pregnant is very close to the percentage of couples who did not adopt but continue to try and eventually conceive (Snarey, Son, Kuehne, Hauser, & Vaillant, 1987).…”