“Mindset of Generativity”: An Exploration of Generativity among College Students Who Mentor

Abstract

The current study explored the development of generativity, care for the next generation, among college students who mentor K–12 youth. Interviews and degree-of-change graphs were conducted with 10 mentors using a phenomenological design. The findings revealed that mentoring positively influenced generativity. Additionally, antecedents and outcomes of generativity development emerged. The results argue for the role of being a mentor in psychosocial development, specifically generativity, which has implications for social responsibility, a goal of higher education.