Narrative Identity and Generativity

Abstract

Abstract This chapter aims to describe the way the generative experience is embodied in stories people tell about themselves, and to what extent the narrative approach has been used and has contributed to a better comprehension of generativity. To do so, firstly it examines the concept of narrative identity, that is, the way in which narratives have a key role in the definition of people, to the point of conceiving someone’s identity as a story that ties together their experience and gives them continuity and purpose. Secondly, it describes how such narrative identities include stories related to experiences of generativity. In this respect, the chapter discusses research studying how people include generative themes in their personal stories, and finally it examines to what extent there is a cultural script of a generative life, what its features are, and how it relates with other master narratives concerning gender or age.