These terms like “Gen X” or “Millennials” are just as meaningful as astrological signs. In other words: They aren’t.
These supposed generational differences are utter nonsense. There’s no scientific research behind them. There are always people with different experiences and biographical backgrounds, but no entire generation experiences the same background.
But there are some similarities throughout a cadre. For example one generation lived through the Great Depression, another through WW2, and yet another through the black plague. It doesn’t mean that whole cadres experiences are exactly the same and ubiquitous across the globe, but it does mean it shares some environmental characteristics that are useful for categorization.
While it may not be very useful in many contexts, it absolutely isn’t the same as astrology.
The question is: how much impact do such shared experiences have? This is usually overinterpreted. Even with all people who experienced the Second World War, one cannot say that they all automatically share the same character traits. There are millions of other individual factors that also have a biographical and epigenetic impact and thus great diversity will always arise.
These terms like “Gen X” or “Millennials” are just as meaningful as astrological signs. In other words: They aren’t.
These supposed generational differences are utter nonsense. There’s no scientific research behind them. There are always people with different experiences and biographical backgrounds, but no entire generation experiences the same background.
But there are some similarities throughout a cadre. For example one generation lived through the Great Depression, another through WW2, and yet another through the black plague. It doesn’t mean that whole cadres experiences are exactly the same and ubiquitous across the globe, but it does mean it shares some environmental characteristics that are useful for categorization.
While it may not be very useful in many contexts, it absolutely isn’t the same as astrology.
The question is: how much impact do such shared experiences have? This is usually overinterpreted. Even with all people who experienced the Second World War, one cannot say that they all automatically share the same character traits. There are millions of other individual factors that also have a biographical and epigenetic impact and thus great diversity will always arise.