Erik Erikson suggested that middle adulthood encompasses a period he characterized as generativity-versus-stagnation stage , where a person is, or is not, making a contribution to family and community.
Explanation:
Generativity versus stagnation is the seventh of eight stages of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. This stage takes place in middle adulthood (ages 40 to 65 yrs). Generativity refers to "making your mark" on the world through creating or nurturing things that will perdure an individual.