מוטיבציות ג'נרטיביות בקרב יועצות חינוכיות בגיל הביניים

In the present study, the work of educational counselors is examined through Erikson's concept of generativity – the developmental challenge of middle adulthood. This challenge involves developing the desire and ability to create and care for the next generation, to provide guidance and promote its well-being, based on a cohesive personal adult identity. Given the wide range of options available to educational counselors for choosing personal emphases in their work and the role ambiguity inherent to the profession, we sought to characterize the motivations that influence middle-aged counselors in determining their personal professional paths. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 educational counselors. These were analyzed using thematic analysis. We discovered three overarching motives for generative action: the desire to improve and amend; the desire to preserve, maintain, and transfer personal and collective products; and, the desire to be meaningful to others. In discussing these motivations, we present a new perspective on the professional and personal identity of experienced educational counselors at midlife.