It's probably the former. Older people--developers included--can enter a phase of "generativity" wherein they seek to give something back to the world in which

It's probably the former. Older people--developers included--can enter a phase of "generativity" wherein they seek to give something back to the world in which they've prospered by helping following generations. See "Generativity vs. Stagnation" in this list of Erickon's Psychosocial Stages of Development: http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/person/erikson.html http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/person/erikson.htm...