Dr. Heather Lawford Receives SSHRC Insight Grant for her Study on Early Generativity

Dr. Heather Lawford of the Department of Psychology, in collaboration with Dr. Heather Ramey of the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning and Nishad Khanna of the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, have received an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in the amount of $88,443 for their study entitled “Uncovering Early Generativity: An Exemplar and Measurement Development Study”.

With this study, the researchers aim to examine the concept of generativity, that is, an individual’s desire to leave a legacy through care and contributions for future generations, in youth and young adulthood. They will conduct a study of young people who demonstrate highly developed generativity, in both its positive (e.g. civic leadership) and negative (e.g. violent extremism) forms. They will also develop and validate the first measure aimed at assessing this feature in youth.

Dr. Lawford’s research is very timely, especially in today’s context where there is a need to engage and to motivate youth to behave as responsible and contributing citizens. By understanding and fostering generative motivation in a positive context early on, researchers and others can support youth in shaping their life course in a way that is meaningful, productive, and that offers a lasting and positive contribution to their community.