Generativity in the lives of elder catholic women religious

Abstract

Generativity is an important component of late life identity development and of graceful aging in the lives of elder Catholic women religious. Life review data from forty women religious (mean age of 80) reflect the importance of ongoing service to others into late life; much of their current satisfaction as elder sisters derives from their continued ability to help others. The qualitative data, in the tradition of grounded theory research, inform the theoretical debate about whether generative behavior occurs in staged developmental sequences of identity formation or recurs continuously through life. The findings from this subculture of women support the claims of Kotre and McAdams, among others, who have found that generative “urges” or “scripts” promote ongoing patterns of generative behavior. The lives of elder women religious support a growing body of research showing that the ability to contribute in late life is part of what gives life meaning and helps people to age gracefully.