Summary: Adult individuals in all societies have long understood the need for generativity--concern for and commitment to caring for the next generation. The need for generative action is particularly critical now given the societal and global threats that we face in the first years of the twenty-first century. Building upon Erikson's groundbreaking developmental model that first propelled the construct of "generativity versus stagnation" into mainstream consciousness, The Generative Society examines this critical stage of development that occurs during the "long middle" of adulthood, as it exists on societal and cultural levels. This volume's diverse group of eminent scholars explores the complex relationships between generativity and various societies' political, economic, religious, educational, and cultural arenas. Integrating empirical research, scientific and cultural theory, and their own informed observations and speculations regarding generativity in society, the volume that results is a rich and stimulating exchange about the multifaceted role of generativity in human life and in society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved)

The generative society : an introduction / Ed de St. Aubin, Dan P. McAdams, and Tae-Chang Kim -- What is generativity? / Dan P. McAdams and Regina L. Logan -- Generativity and culture : what meaning can do / John Kotre -- Reflections on generativity and society : a sociologist's perspective / Kai Erikson -- The propagation of genes and memes : generativity through culture in Japan and the USA / Ed de St. Aubin -- Generativity as social responsibility : the role of generations in societal continuity and change / Takatoshi Imada -- The generative life cycle model : integration of Japanese folk images and generativity / Yoko Yamada -- Rope of ashes : global aging, generativity, and education / Ronald Manheimer -- Generativity behind bars : some "redemptive truth" about prison society / -- Shadd Maruna, Thomas P. Lebel, and Charles S. Lanier -- American religion, generativity, and the theraputic culture / Michele Dillon and Paul Wink -- Generativity and gender : the politics of care / Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore -- Guarding the next generation : the politics of generativity / Bill E. Peterson -- Generativity and the politics of intergenerational fairness / Takeshi Sasaki -- Volunteerism and the generative society / Mark Snyder and E. Gil Clary -- An ethical analysis of Erikson's concept of generativity / Don Browning -- Erik Erikson on generativity : a biographer's perspective / Lawrence J. Friedman -- The generative society : an epilogue / Ed de St. Aubin, Dan P. McAdams, and Tae-Chang Kim.