Generativity and moral development as predictors of value-socialization narratives for young persons across the adult life span: from lessons learned to stories shared.
Little research so far has examined storytelling as a channel of value socialization. In the present study, 129 adults from 3 age groups (18-26, 28-50, 60-75) were asked to tell stories for adolescents about 2 of their past value-learning experiences. Generative concern (D. P. McAdams & E. de St. Aubin, 1992) and moral reasoning stage level were also assessed. Stronger generative concern was predictive of a greater sense of having learned important lessons from these past events, of stronger adult value socialization investment, and of more engaging narratives for adolescents as judged by a panel of uninstructed raters. Higher levels of moral reasoning were positively related to generative concern and to a stronger sense of past lessons learned. Generativity appears important to the project of value socialization across the adult life span.
Pratt
M W
MW
Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. mpratt@wlu.ca
Norris
J E
JE
Arnold
M L
ML
Filyer
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D003142:Communication; D003405:Creativity; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009014:Morals; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values; D012951:Socialization