What Are Generations?

Each one of us is a part of a generation, or a group of individuals living at the same period of
time. That time frame, or period of time, is usually considered to be roughly 30 years, primarily
because that is enough time for individuals to grow up and have children of their own, thus starting
the next generation. That time frame can be as low as 23 years, depending on the situation.
A generation typically shares values and viewpoints of the world, and as a new generation comes
along, those values and viewpoints change. This means that every generation looks at the world
differently. Regardless of the generation you are in, you'll have different values shaped by what
your generation experiences. Those values, in turn, will shape your place in the workforce.

The Different Generations Identified

Now that we understand what generations are as a definition, we need to understand what time
frames they cover and what the characteristics of each generation are. There are four basic
generations that we can recognize and discuss:

 Traditionalists: Over the years, this generation has become the result of blending the
Greatest Generation (1901 - 1924) and the Silent Generation (1925 - 1945). Traditionalists
experienced things like the tail end of the Great Depression and the two World Wars. They
experienced tough times when younger but began to see some prosperity toward the end of
the period.
 Baby Boomers: Many of us have heard this term used, and it relates to the generation born
between 1946 and 1964. Baby Boomers are individuals that were born during a period of
increased birth rates following World War II. Their experiences helped to shape our
country; issues such as the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, and the emergence and
development of civil rights also shaped how these individuals think and view the world.
 Generation X: Gen Xers, as they are called, are individuals born from 1965 to 1980. These
individuals experienced, in many ways, a very tumultuous time, with the issues of the day
being things such as Watergate, the development of 'latchkey kids' (children who came
home from school and did not have a parent home when they got there due to dual-income
families), and the energy crisis.
 Millennials: Millennials, sometimes called Generation Y, were born during the time frame
of 1980 to the year 2000. They saw an explosion in technology but also saw many issues
of the day that most certainly impacted how they view the world, including issues such as
AIDS, school shootings, and terrorist attacks.

As we look at these generations, it could be argued they have many things in common such as war
or terrorism or sexual revolution or AIDS, but the fact is each of these generations look at the
world very differently than the next due to what they experienced in their formative years to their
young adult years. What each experienced shaped who they are as individuals, and in many ways,
those experiences are what define the generation gap that is prevalent between generations.

What Are the Values of Different Generations?

Just like different issues or aspects of life shaped each generation's viewpoint of the world, it also
shaped and molded the values of each generation. It is not hard to understand that if you grew up
during world war, you would have a very different set of values than if you grew up during the
digital age and of cellular phones. Those different values are what make each generation unique.
Some of the values that we can identify for each generation are:

 Traditionalists: adherence to rules, discipline, family focus, hard work, and trust in the
government
 Baby Boomers: anti-war, anti-government, equal rights, involvement, and personal
gratification
 Generation X: balance, diversity, lack of loyalty to an organization, and a global mindset
 Millennials: achievement, fun, civic duty, sociability, and self-confidence