In this chapter, we describe a program of research on the relation between moral identity and generativity development in late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Both constructs share a central concern, with the well-being of others as a core focus, leading us to expect that they will show considerable overlap in development. In examining moral identity, we draw on the framework of McAdams (2006a) specifically regarding the development of narrative identity.

We concentrate here on two complementary questions – first, how do the patterns in personal moral narratives relate to standard measures of moral values, moral behavior, and moral identity in emerging adulthood; and second, how do narratives of moral commitment assessed in late adolescence predict to generativity of personality? We begin by describing the construct of generativity in the personality literature, and then discuss the idea of moral identity and its development, focusing on a narrative approach. Following this, we examine the rationale for studying the interrelations between these two constructs of moral identity and generativity, summarize the results of two recent studies from our research, and finally consider the potential for a narrative approach to moral identity development.

GENERATIVITY OF PERSONALITY

Generativity was originally conceived by Erik Erikson (1963) as the hallmark of the period of midlife in the human life cycle, the seventh of eight life stages in his model of ego development (generativity versus stagnation). Erikson saw parenthood as the prototype of generativity, the commitment to caring for future generations as a legacy of the self into the future.

The year was 1688. A major fire had destroyed the homes and belongings of scores of citizens in New France. The town of Quebec was swollen with the destitute, many of whom were forced to beg in the streets, having lost all they owned in the fire. The citizens of Quebec, concerned about the plight of their less fortunate compatriots, formed what was probably the first voluntary agency in Canada, the Bureau des Pauvres. This agency, managed and run by volunteers and supported by donations from the community, provided clothing, food, housing, and money to those in need. The Bureau des Pauvres continued to operate, providing relief to the poor, incapacitated, and elderly, until about 1700, at which time its functions were taken over by religious charities (Lautenschlager, 1992).

Volunteering in Canada: Some Historical Highlights

It was the churches that initiated most of the first organized social services in Canada. The Roman Catholic church founded the Hotel Dieu in Quebec in 1658, and La Maison de Providence in Montreal in 1688, to provide relief to the sick, incapacitated, and destitute, and education and training to those who could not afford to pay for them. Charitable organizations (called Societies) associated with the Roman Catholic church, such as the Society of Vincent de Paul, continued to provide support for the sick and indigent in Quebec through the eighteenth century and continuing into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lay volunteers working with the Societies visited the sick and disabled, helped the unemployed find work, and ran clothing depots. They also began to take on social justice issues, advocating on behalf of disadvantaged groups in the community.