The codevelopment of generativity and well-being into early late life

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Generativity, a key aspect of psychosocial development in adulthood, has been studied less in later life.
• Existing research on generativity in older adults is limited, necessitating further investigation into its developmental trajectories and impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model individual differences in the development of generativity during early late life.
• To examine the relationship between the development of generativity and well-being in late midlife and early late life.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study (RALS), a secondary analysis of existing data.
• Employed the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) on 271 participants across two assessment waves (2000-2012).
• Applied dual score change models to analyze stability and change in generativity and well-being.

Main Results:

• Generativity exhibited significant rank-order stability but no significant mean-level change over the study period.
• Substantial individual variability was observed in both the stability and change of generativity.
• A robust concurrent relationship between generativity and well-being was found, with correlated changes over time.

Conclusions:

• Generativity remains relatively stable in early late life, though individual developmental paths vary.
• The findings highlight a dynamic interplay between generativity and well-being throughout adult development.
• Future research should address sample limitations, particularly regarding racial and ethnic diversity, to enhance generalizability.