Generative adults hope that the lives of their children and future generations generally will be good and will hold meaning and value. They seek to care for and positively contribute to society and the people they leave behind. The model of generativity presented by Erik Erikson (1950) and elaborated upon by Dan McAdams and Ed de St Aubin (1992) assumes that individuals want to care for future generations because they were cared for by others. I contend that the theory of generativity assumes that an individual lives in free society. By general definition, at least in the Western justice system, a person who is incarcerated has been convicted of a crime against society; people in prison are furthermore thought of as moral transgressors. The notion of generative desires and behaviours among a population of transgressors who have been ostracized by free society would seem an anomaly. However, all 27 of the older women in my study expressed generative thoughts and desires or reported engaging in generative behaviours. The three younger participants did not initiate a discussion of generative thoughts and behaviours. Furthermore, when I prompted them with questions related to generativity, they responded that they do not think about their legacy or what they will leave behind. While one interviewee said that she talked to younger women in prison, she also admitted that she generally tried to avoid it. Nonetheless, I was able to discern thoughts and actions related to generativity, and this chapter shares these. First, I expound upon the concept of generativity.

Erikson introduced the concept of generativity more than 50 years ago. Since that time, researchers have expanded on and departed from certain of his ideas (for example, Browning, 1975; Kotre, 1984; McAdams, 1985; McAdams and de St Aubin, 1992). Generativity has evolved to encompass several principles and behaviours, such as teaching, mentoring, and encouraging the next generation. Due to the nature of incarceration and the ‘typical’ characteristics of the women who are housed there, it would seem likely that incarcerated people do not express generativity in the same manner or to the same degree as adults outside of prison. For the purpose of this study, I strip the definition of generativity down to the most basic elements first outlined by Erikson (1950). Erikson defined generativity as a commitment to the larger society and its continuation and/or improvement through the next generation (1950).