Generativity in the lives of Filipino clergy at midlife

• Main Author: Galang, Restituto O.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2008
• Subjects: Clergy > Philippines; Middle age—Clergy; Counseling Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/213; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_doctoral/article/1212/viewcontent/CDTG004465_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The present study investigated the generative experiences of Filipino midlife clergy. In particular, the research explored their generative experiences to ascertain the codes, categories, and processes that are involved in their midlife performance of generative acts. Also, it looked into the facilitative and preventive factors that affect their generative behaviors. Subjects were 24 Filipino Roman Catholic clergy, ages between 44 and 54, with at least 15 years in ministerial service since ordination, and all having present official church assignments. Pandits (1996) methodology of grounded theory building guided the studys qualitative research method. In-depth interviews were used for data collection. The collected transcribed data were coded and went through the process of open, axial and selective coding. At the conclusion of the coding process, the core category total person as the object of consideration in the performance of generative acts as well as other cluster categories that included human/personal, intellectual, pastoral/ social and iv spiritual dimensions emerged. The codes in the facilitative and preventive factors reveal that midlife clergy tend to claim success in performing generative acts on internal (personal)reasons while blame failures on external factors. Results also reveal that, as against the idea of Erickson (1963), the clergy can be generative even before midlife and still remain generative in later midlife years. The results of the coding process were integrated and became the basis of producing a conceptual model of generativity distinct for midlife clergy. Implications to counseling/ psychotherapy practice and research and to clergy ongoing formation programs as well as to seminary training programs are discussed.