Aaron Deupree

Kirsty Gillies
Heike Koester
Feriha Ramadan

Subgroups
Subgroup (not subculture) according to

Jandt (2007): psychologists label this as a

membership group based on vocation, hobby,
or special skills, that, like cultures, provide
patterns of behavior and values: these can be
generational, occupational, expatriate, etc.
These may pose communication problems
with other subgroups just as the dominant
culture they exist within and depend on may
clash with other cultures.

Examples of Subgroups
Examples include: Generation Xers, college

freshmen, prostitutes, vegetarians, doctors,

teachers, Disney Corp. employees, punks, bikers
and lesbian culture. Sometimes they are also
know as deviant culture, which has no negative
connotation, but simply reflects divergence from
the greater culture they exist within. Membership
can be longlasting or temporary but it is not
exclusive. Like the larger cultures they exist
within, members behave and think according to
norms the subgroup endorses or espouses.

Argot (jargon, cant,

slang)
They can also be identified by argot, which is
the vocabulary of a subgroup, and is an
important aspect of a subgroups identity and
establishes the boundary of the subgroup.
Indeed, terms applied pejoratively to a
subgroup can help establish that culture. In
some cases, the subgroups adopt such terms
and give them new meanings and establish
pride based on the identity whereas the word
might have been a source of shame before.

Activity
For your date range, in your group, in the next
2-3 minutes, think of as many events,
products, or other important items you can
think of for that era, and record it on the
paper.
Can you identify any tendencies of that
generation from your own experiences or
interaction with them?

The Generations
Generation

Year

Other Names

Baby Boomers

1946 to 1964
(Wikipedia)
(Strauss and Howe
Generations: 19431960)

Generation X

(1961-1964) 1965 to
1981
1961-1984 (some
articles)

Gen-X, baby bust

(latchkey kids,
video-generation)

Generation Y

1980-1999
(Wikipedia)
1981-2000
1982-2001 (9/11)

Gen-Y, Millennial
Generation, Baby
Boom Echo, Echo
Boomers

Demographers have not

reached a consensus on
dates
Date ranges are guidelines and are not clearly
defined.
Virtually every article read had different date

ranges. At times, terms were used for radically

different date ranges.

The Baby Boomer

Experience
Sputnik; walk on the moon
New technology: transistor radios, television, space

race
Sexual freedom, Roe vs. Wade, drug experimentation
Movements: civil rights, women, environment
Assassinations: JFK, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X,
Martin Luther King
Music: Rock and Roll, Beatlemania, Motown
US (Woodstock, Vietnam War), India (independence),
Canada (Trudeau)
Source: Wikipedia

Baby Boomer Characteristic

Tendencies

Experimental
Individualism
Free spirited
Social cause oriented
Source: Wikipedia

Experiences of
Generation
X killed protesters in
The Chinese government
Tiananmen Square.
The U.S. stock market crashed.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred.
The Exxon Valdez caused an oil spill.
The Challenger space shuttle exploded.
The first computer disk was sold.
Diana Oblinger

Generation X
The generation X (1961-1984)

Generation X is consistently characterized by being the

first American generation to grow up as latchkey
kids having a set of parents working outside of the
home.
Generation X grew up with:
cold war
a high divorce rate
MTV
the first wave of computers and modern technology
socially acceptable and media-driven casual sex.

Gen X requires flexible schedules, democratic

leadership, variety in work duties, the ability
to grow skill sets and recognition.. It has come
of age in the information age, an era of
constant activity, change and ever developing
global marketplace. After growing up with
absent parents, they understand the
importance of being available to their families.
X-ers are also innovative thinkers who crave
variety of projects in their positions and they
like different experiences.

Generation X in the
workplace

Experiences of
Generation
Y
Y2Curious: America's Generation Y has
grown up around various phenomena
including the Internet with online chatting,
Wikipedia, YouTube and its numerous
informational resources, digital video and
music, Tickle Me Elmos, continued abuse of
underage drinking and iPods.
Sophia Yan
Yan, S. (2006, December 8). Understanding
generation Y. The Oberlin Review.

Tendencies of Generation
YThey are generally more financially savvy: saving for

retirement, and retirement benefits are very important

Employee and employer loyalty have disappeared.
Are less likely to be obsessed with work;
They are more interested in preserving their quality of life,
even if it means staying at the same position in the labor
hierarchy.
Dress more casually
Members of Generation Y are characterized as being more
racially and culturally tolerant than past generations.
Gay rights and non-traditional gender roles have also
become more widely accepted.

Yan, S. (2006, December 8). Understanding generation Y. The

Oberlin Review.

European Millennials in the

Workplace
Characteristics
Mobile
Multilingual professionals
Work and play in Europe without borders

What do they want out of their work?

Money is not the most important thing.
Maintaining balance
Cultivate personal relationships
Leisure
They want to make a difference and feel they can.
Theyre not afraid to leave a job if its not what they want.

Young Europeans for the most part are most concerned with;
Environment
Global warning
Pollution
Ratnesar, R. Generation Europe. (2001, April 12). Time.

Generations and
Education

Changes to Post-Secondary
Education

Higher enrollment
More students attend college part-time than
in previous years
More women are attending
More students are over the age of twenty-five
Several generations in one class at a time;
professors are still mostly Baby Boomers
(50+), some older Gen-Xers (40+)

The new Student

Population
Delayed enrollment (did not enter postsecondary

education in the student graduated from high

school)
Part-time attendance
Work full-time, thirty-five hours or more, while
going to school
Are financially independent (Financial aid definition)
Have dependents
Are single parents
Are mature students, who have no high school
diploma

Tendencies of Millennials
gravitate toward group activity
identify with their parents' values and feel close

to their parents
spend more time doing homework and
housework and less time watching TV
believe "it's cool to be smart"
are fascinated by new technologies
are racially and ethnically diverse
often (one in five) have at least one immigrant
parent.

Attitudes of Millennials
Computers aren't technology
Typing is preferred to handwriting.
Staying connected is essential.
There is zero tolerance for delays.
Consumer and creator are blurring.
Reality is no longer real. (Perspectives)
Doing is more important than knowing.
Learning more closely resembles games than

logic.
Multitasking is a way of life.

Millennial Generation
Learning
Preference
Teamwork
Tendencies
Experiential activities
Structure
Use of technology (students believe they are

more tech savvy than their teachers or

professors)
Strengths: multitasking, goal orientation,
positive attitudes and a collaborative style.

Implications for Educators

and
School
Cultures
Schools, colleges and universities are providing a

various options to meet students' expectations for

service, immediacy, interactivity.
There is no one correct formula.
Students often range in ages/generations, learning
styles, and preferences in communication.
Administrators and educators must adapt their
facility, curriculum, classes, etc. to meet the needs
of such a varied range of students, taking into
consideration the tendencies of certain
generations, their preferences and learning styles.

Bibliography
Belhassen, S. (2009). Generation X: In defiance of the box. Understanding
generation X and workplace application.
Blandford, S. & Shaw, M. (2001). Managing international schools. London:
Routledge Falmer.
Jandt, F. (2007). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a
global community. Thousand Oaks, USA: Sage Publications.

Lang. S. (2001). CU sociologists book claims Generation Xers adopt chameleon

personalities to cope with anxiety, fears. Retrieved March 6, 2005, from Cornell
Chronicle: http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/01/10.11.01/Rosen_book.html

McGlyn, A. (2005, December). Teaching millenials, Our newest cultural cohort.

Retrieved June 29, 2009 from www.eddigest.com

Bibliography Continued
No author. (2006, April 26) Older workers underappreciated in workplace, says
survey. Seniorjournal.com . Retrrieved April 13, 2009 from
http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Retrirement/6-04-26OlderWorkersUnderappreciated.htm
Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials: Understanding new
students. Educause . Retrieved June 30, 2009 from
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0342.pdf
Pikul. C. (2005). Back to school at 52. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Salon.com:
www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/09/13/freshman_year
Thompson, E. (2009, June 3). Dumbest generation? Professor blames
technology. USA Today.
Yan, S. (2006, December 8). Understanding generation Y. The Oberlin Review.
Retrieved on June 30, 2009 from
http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/2006/12/08/features/Understanding
_Generation_Y.html

Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The

Relationship Between Living Abroad and
Creativity
William W. Maddux and Adam D. Galinsky
Abstract: Despite abundant anecdotal evidence that creativity is associated with
living in foreign countries, there is currently little empirical evidence for this
relationship.Five studies employinga multimethodapproach systematically explored
the link between living abroad and creativity. Using both individual and dyadic
creativity tasks, Studies 1 and 2 provided initial demonstrations that time spent
living abroad (but not time spent traveling abroad) showed a positive relationship
with creativity. Study 3 demonstrated that priming foreign living experiences
temporarily enhanced creative tendencies for participants who had previously lived
abroad. In Study 4, the degree to which individuals had adapted to different cultures
while living abroad mediated the link between foreign living experience and
creativity. Study 5 found that priming the experience of adapting to a foreign culture
temporarily enhanced creativity for participants who had previously lived abroad.
The relationship between living abroad and creativity was consistent across a
number of creativity measures (including those measuring insight, association, and
generation), as well as with masters of business administration and undergraduate
samples, both in the United States and Europe, demonstrating the robustness of this
phenomenon.
Maddux, G. and Galinsky, A. (2009). Cultural borders and mental barriers: The
relationship between living abroad and Creativity. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology 96/5.

Candle Box Experiment

Creative Results