Building A Generative Retirement

So often we view our life after work as being an ending stage. But here’s something to consider. Rather then having this perspective why don’t we view it as a re-imagined, re-energized and generative phase in our life that will extend well into our 80s or 90s and beyond?

But it may be hard for us to make this shift. We are so accustomed to viewing retirement as depicted in our American culture over the last half-century. Too many of us have a view of aging as something dreadful, involving deterioration, dependency, and limited growth opportunities. Are there other ways to see this period? Can we rekindle the flames of creativity we felt earlier in our lives? Is there a new paradigm that helps us justify a different point of view of this life stage?

Western Model

Our Western civilization takes a very linear view of life and purpose. Our human development models focus on the individual and are progressive. We begin life as a child with limited abilities. As we grow through childhood toward adulthood, we develop more and more skills. Our goal in life is always to progress. Anything less is considered a negative.

An important focus of this Western model is “me”.

Each of us takes responsibility for our life and achievements. “I” own my lifestyle choices and decisions. This linear model of human development focuses mostly on the childhood and early-to-middle adult development stages, neglecting the later stages of adult development.

While there is an appreciation for continued development in later adulthood, this approach has a problem with the eventual decay and death of the individual, contributing to our negative perceptions of aging. Rather than celebrating aging, the West extols a youthful appearance and pressures us to stay perpetually young. Our cosmetics industry caters to these desires - from hair coloring, to under eye & face concealers, to antiaging skin care. Aging is something concealed, not revered.

Eastern Model

As an alternative, Dr. Yoko Yamada, Professor of Psychology, describes an Eastern model of human development oriented to a cycle-of-life approach. The analogy is the seasonal transitions in nature. Each New Year starts fresh; spring brings a regeneration of life, followed by the brilliance of summer, transitioning to the fleeting and fading beauty of the fall and the darkness and loss of winter, with the promise each spring of an endless renewal cycle.

Where Western models orient to individual development, the Japanese model conceives of people completely enveloped by the entire context of their life.

People do not have an independent existence; they are part of the fabric of interrelations that completely surround them. People are neither isolated from nature or from the social, cultural and historical context where they live. “We” are part of the fabric of life that existed before being born. And “we” remain part of this fabric of life and interrelationships after we die. “We” are part and parcel of this endless renewal cycle. “We” are not alone.

In our culture, the closest analogy to recognizing this ongoing interrelated fabric of life is considering the impact of decisions over several generations.

As Wilma Mankiller, the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation, stated:

“In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people.”

Reconciling the Western and Eastern Views

Yamada regarded Erik Erikson’s model of human development as a mixed model combining elements of both the East and West, the linear and cyclical views of human development, capturing both the individual and contextual influences on life. A core idea in Erikson’s model that reconciles the East and West models of human development is the concept of generativity, defined as “the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation.”

Generativity is the gift to future generations – that portion of the individual shared with descendants which continues to live on in the coming generations.

Generativity closely connects with the desire for symbolic immortality. Individuals live on through their generative products – their children and heirs, the organizations they supported, the music and art and books they created, the mark they left on society, etc.

Dr. John Kotre, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, highlighted this concept in his definition of generativity: “the desire to invest one’s substance in forms of life and work that will outlive the self.”

Passing the Baton

A very current way of viewing generativity in our sports-oriented culture is like a baton passed between runners in a relay race. In this instance, the runners are from two different generations. The parent or prior generation is the inbound runner with the baton (the learnings and gifts to be passed on to the next generation). The receiving runner is the future generation getting the baton (accepts the gift and prepares to pass onto future generations). Just like any relay race, generativity is multigenerational. Each recipient becomes the runner in the next leg of the contest (the child now becomes the parent or grandparent). The baton is continually passed on to the next generation (with the promise of endless regeneration and renewal).

So, how does generativity relate to the re-imagining process once we retire?

Generativity is the primary goal during retirement. 

And this need is becoming more important as our world progresses at a faster and faster pace. After all, we will need everyone's help in order to improve the future for all humankind.

About the author

Richard O. Weijo, PhD, received an undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and went on to receive his MBA and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota. He was an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Richard was also a Senior Analyst at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and his most recent corporate position was as a Manager of market research and Director of customer channels at Portland General Electric. Currently, he is a consultant and a writer. He adores his young granddaughter Elsie, whose birth inspired his book, Remember Me: Creating and Leaving an Inspiring and Memorable Legacy.