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The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Advance Access originally published online on January 30, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2009 64B(2):296-303; doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn012
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

The Effect of Suffering on Generativity: Accounts of Elderly African American Men

Helen K. Black1 and Robert L. Rubinstein2

1 Jefferson Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health (CARAH), Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2 Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Doctoral Program in Gerontology, University of Maryland, College Park

Address correspondence to Helen K. Black, PhD, Jefferson Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health (CARAH), Thomas Jefferson University, 130 South 9th Street, Suite 515, Philadelphia, PA. Email: helen.black{at}jefferson.edu


  Abstract

Background: This article focuses on attitudes to and behaviors of generativity in 6 older African American (AA) men.

Methods: Data on generativity emerged from in-depth qualitative research that explored experiences of suffering in community-dwelling persons aged 80 years and over.

Results: For these AA men, experiences of racism were salient in stories of suffering, and suffering was intricately related to attitudes and behaviors of generativity. We placed men's narratives, showing the link between suffering and generativity, in 3 categories: Generativity is rooted in (a) suffering and in empathy for suffering others, (b) experiences of redemption from suffering, and (c) religious belief that assuages suffering.

Conclusions: These AA men's generative behaviors were shaped by unique life experiences, including experiences of suffering. Bequeathing a legacy to succeeding generations was tied to suffering experiences, to the personal and communal identities that emerged from suffering, to the importance of inter- and intragenerational community, and to what men believed others needed from them.

Key Words: African American men • Generativity • Suffering

Received May 2, 2008; Accepted September 10, 2008

Decision Editor: Kenneth F. Ferraro, PhD


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