Associations in Mentoring Relationships and Generative Statuses

The specific objectives of this study are to determine any associations in a mentor\u27s involvement in a mentoring program and his/her resolutions of generative statuses. The researcher will examine whether or not the age of a mentor, length of time mentoring, and average length of time with mentee will be related to level of satisfaction he/she has with the mentoring relationship. The age of the mentor, satisfaction with the mentoring relationship, length of time mentoring, and average length of time with mentee will be examined to determine if they are predictor of the mentor\u27s generative status. Researchers will review a mentor\u27s reasons and motives for mentoring and any relationships in predicting their level of satisfaction with the mentoring relationship. Finally, the types of activities the mentor participates in with mentee will be evaluated to determine if they can be used as predictors of the mentor\u27s generative status. In this particular study a focus has been placed on Erik Erikson\u27s seventh stage of psychosocial development called generativity. Erikson (1963) believed that individuals are faced with important developmental tasks at each successive stage in life. Each stage of development presents an individual with a somewhat ideal or less than ideal resolution to issues that come up at this time in his/her life. In every stage of Erikson\u27s theory one is faced with choices that contribute to a healthy or unhealthy path of development. While an individual reaches middle adulthood, according to Erik Erikson\u27s (1963) stages of psychosocial development, he/she feels the need to establish and guide the next generation. Many individuals participate in volunteer activities, mentoring being just one opportunity to reach out and provide this guidance. Following is a study of23 individuals in an upper Midwest Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. Findings indicate that there is not a significant association between an individual\u27s experience in a mentoring program and his/her resolution of generative issues. Research in this study has indicated that a mentor\u27s age, length of time with mentee, time spent in the program, nor the activities they participate in with their littles significantly affect his/her generative statuses