Generativity Three
The role to be played by a generative society in the encouragement of the third generativity role is also salient. In his identification of the forms that a generative society must take to encourage generativity, Kotre points to mentoring and “the keeper of meaning”; he references, in this regard, the work of George Vaillant. As noted by Vaillant (2012) and by us in an earlier essay, the guardians of tradition and heritage must be valued in this role by the society in which they dwell. The parade, monument and museum do not exist in a vacuum. The consumers of Generativity Three products and services do not live in isolation. They are members of a specific society, and they help build the museums, collect the valuable artifacts, and march in the parades.
Kotre notes that Generativity Three can be engaged, often inadvertently, by those people in a specific society who become “living legends” in their own time. Being honored by other members of their society as saints (Mother Teresa) or geniuses (Einstein), these men and women exemplify the values that are to be safe-guarded and perpetuated. Generativity Three, then, is intricately interwoven with the propensity of generative societies to identify, appreciate and sustain these values. At a less dramatic level, a coach client might be encouraged to identify and appreciate their own moments of being a saint or genius—especially when they have been honored as such by their organization or community. To be honored we are not only given the opportunity to feel good about ourselves, but also given the opportunity learn something about ourselves that holds major implications for how we continue to engage in beneficial work in our life.
There is yet another level at which Generativity Three and the generative society interact. This level is concerned not just with the keeper of meaning, but also with the fundamental construction of the reality in which the society operates. Values, traditions and even fundamental perspectives are guarded and passed on by Generative Three leaders and by the society in which they live. The fundamental memories of a society are shaped by the Generative Three guardians. The work of Karl Mannheim (father of the sociology of knowledge) is relevant here:
“To explain the continuity and change between generations, Mannheim proposes structures of memory at the individual and social levels . . . According to Mannheim, there are two ways by which people incorporate a cultural experience in social memories: (a) as consciously recognized models to determine the direction of their behaviors or (b) as unconsciously condensed patterns.” (Imada, 2004, p. 86)
McAdams and Logan have noted in their own analysis of the generative society, that collective memories (whether they be consciously recognized or unconsciously condensed) tend to be forged in mythic or real narratives that are repeatedly shared in a generative society. These narratives form the basis of our individual and collective identity:
“A growing number of philosophers, psychologists, social scientists, and social critics have argued in recent years that adults living in modern societies strive to provide their lives with some sense of unity and purpose by constructing self-defining life stories . . . Indeed Erikson’s conception of identity can be reconceived from a narrative point of view.” (McAdams and Logan, 2004, p. 24)
Kotre offers a similar perspective on the nature of a generative society or culture: “What does a culture need to keep the young connected to its traditions, even as it welcomes youthful reform? What will lead the young to create a generative identity . . . and arouse in them what is now called generative desire?” (Kotre, 2004, p. 39) He identifies five type of generative stories that create generative desire and sustain a culture and tradition: (1) the epic, (2) the origin myth, (3) story of real life, (4) the parable and (5) the cautionary tale. (Kotre, 2004, pp. 40-42). Each of these stories is told by a Generative Three narrator and supported by a generative society. Together with their coach, a client can extract some of the meanings and implications inherent in their stories.
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