Generativity, Identity, and the Proclamation of Landmarks

Abstract

Reflections are offered on the interdisciplinary conference that gave birth to the papers on the 14 "landmark" studies presented in this volume, highlighting implications for the future of longitudinal research. Differences in disciplinary perspectives, eg, between sociologists & psychologists, that contribute to metadifferences at the theoretical & methodological levels are discussed, & lessons that each side can learn from the other are identified. A historical overview is offered of the growth & development of longitudinal studies, citing the contributions of several key researchers & theorists. The use of autobiography as a narrative method, as participants did in these papers, is discussed. 1 Table, 29 References. K. Hyatt Stewart