Generational Theory

Presenters:Joy Gayles &

John Lee

Defining Moments

Think about major global/national/local events that have happened over your lifetime that have been very significant and or radical (both good events and not so good events)

What happened and how did it affect you, your family, your community, the state, the country and the world?

In small groups of 5-6 share your events and come up with a master group of events to share

Generational Theory

cohort-group born within 20-22 year period

Boundaries of period are fixed by peer personality

Peer Personality is shaped by social moments, or historic events that radically alter their social environment

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/

Life Cycle Framework

Youth = 0 - 21 Dependence, growing, learning,

protection/nurturing, avoiding harm, acquiring values

Rising Adulthood = 22 - 43 Working, starting families, serving

institutions, testing values

Midlife = 44 - 65 Leadership, parenting, teaching, directing

institutions, using values

Elderhood = 66 - 87 Supervising, mentoring, passing on values

Generational Diagonal

Idea that generations move through time influencing and being influenced by

Other generations

Social moments

Who are the Millennials?

Born in or after 1982

The oldest entered college Fall of 2000

Life expectancy of 75 years

3 most popular names

Males Females

Michael Jennifer

Jason Jessica

Christopher Ashley

Moving through the Diagonal

1. Break between rising and young adult generation due to style differences

2. Rising generation tries to correct for perceived excesses of the current midlife generation – parents and leaders

3. Fills social role vacated by elder generation

Generations

Dominant Generation – called on to respond to crises (social moments) as they move into rising adulthood and elderhood

Recessive Generation – absence of critical social moments

Generations

Birth Cohorts20-22 years

Lost Generation1883-1900

Silent Generation1925-1942

Baby Boomer1943-1960

Generation X1961-1981

Millennial1982- 2002

GI’s (WWII)1901-1924

Generation Z1990- 2002

Baby Boomers

More likely to live in two-income household.

Have children in college

Have the basic feeling of security

More likely than others to focus on education

Have the highest level of education

88.8% of this generation completed high school

Generation X

Grew up during the post Watergate era and the energy crisis.

They were in many cases children of divorce and nontraditional family units

Many were latchkey kids who were raised on electronic media (television, Atari 2600s)

Challenges facing Generation Z

Competition in job market

Recovery from the “Great Recession”

(jobs in healthcare, information technology, leisure and hospitality)

Jobs will require college/advanced degrees

Cost of higher education is skyrocketing

High student loan debt/less buying power entering the workforce

Obesity (sedentary lifestyle of digital age)

Challenges facing NC & Generation Z

Fewer middle class jobs (split between high and low paying jobs)

North Carolina is on track to be the 7th largest state in the country

Population growth concentrated in the largest cities

Communities across the state will be more diverse

Who is Generation Z???

Born between 1990 and 2002 (last half of Millennial Generation)

By 2020 they will be between 18 and 30 years of age

1.5 million in NC

Ethnically diverse

Technology savvy

Globally aware

Connectivity!!!

Characteristics of Generation Z

This generation has always had the internet – the internet generation; digital natives

Hyper-Connectivity (community is broadly defined)