Problems of Research on Generations in Psychology

Abstract

Modern psychology faces many tasks that require the study of social psychological characteristics of representatives of different generations. However, there still is no single, unified concept of generations in the psy¬chological science, which makes research into the subject even more difficult. Basing on a review of Russian and foreign works, the author describes the following three problems of research on generations in modern psychology: 1) The problem of defining the very concept of 'generation'; 2) The problem of defining quantitative and qualitative characteristics of 'generation'; 3) The problem of differentiating between generations. Creating a complex social psychological concept in which a generation would be considered a relatively independent social community of individuals united by common cultural-historical location and common experience may contribute to eliminating these problems. The author argues that generations functioning in society should be differentiated on the basis of the following criteria: historical era, age, family role and identification with one or another generation.