Erik Erikson, the noted psychotherapist most famous for coining the phrase “Identity Crisis” also gave us the term “Generativity” as part of his 8-Stages of Human Development.

Generativity is the ability to generate anything tangible that will exist beyond one’s earthly life; particularly when exhibiting a need to nurture and guide younger people and contribute to the next generation.

There are four primary categories of Generativity, they are:

1) Biological – the act of making a child;

2) Parental – the act of raising a child;

3) Technical – the creation of tangible works that will maintain an existence beyond your life, (i.e., paintings, writings, or a business organization); and,

4) Societal – the ability to create societal change and/or reform, (i.e., Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., et. al.).

With this brief introduction to the concept of Generativity, how does your current set of plans (Legacy or Estate) measure up on the generative scale?