| Sumario: | "The concept of generativity has come a long way since Erikson originally formulated it, back in 1950. At the conceptual level, efforts have been made to distinguish between generativity types or statuses, or to understand how adults begin to act generatively over the lifespan. This has been mirrored by similar efforts to develop data-gathering instruments to assess the concept at the empirical level. In this chapter, we first revise Erikson's perspectives on generativity, to move then to post-Eriksonian developments of the concept, and to the methodological approaches to measure it. The two last sections of this chapter explore further theoretical and methodological advances on research on generativity, and potential limits that the study and application of the concept should consider. Generativity within the Eriksonian framework Erik H. Erikson coined the concept of generativity back in 1950, with the publication of his seminal book "Childhood and society", in which he articulated for the first time his psychosocial theory of human development. The theory proposes that individuals go through what he called "eight ages of man" across the lifespan. Each of the eight stages is particularly salient in a specific developmental period, and implies certain social challenges that individuals must confront. His theory is psychosocial in considering that developmental crises are "precipitated both by the individual's readiness and by society's pressure" (Erikson, 1980, p. 130). From Erikson's perspective, biological and psychological developmental processes are constantly connected with cultural and historical influences to shape ego development across the lifespan (Erikson, 1982). The eight stages are qualitatively different from each other, and are characterized by a central conflict or crisis expressed in polar opposites that the person could resolve in more or less satisfactory ways (Erikson, 1950). The theory assumes that development is the result of dealing with each of these crises, and that individuals go through them in the same order, although regressions to previous stages could also occur, as well as co-existence of different crisis at the same period of the lifespan. Indeed, Erikson drew on the principle of the epigenesis, originally formulated in the field of embryology, to highlight the idea that each stage is somewhat present before and after it becomes salient at some point of the lifespan (Erikson 1950). Generativity vs stagnation appears as the seventh stage on Erikson's theory. He defined generativity as "the concern in stablishing and guiding the next generation" (Erikson, 1950, p. 240). The opposite pole of generativity is stagnation, understood as the predominance of self-absorption and self-indulgence in the relation with others"--
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