Preface:
We Are Turning Into a Crisis Period, the 5th since 1588
16741700 (26)
King Philip's War/
Glorious Revolution
17671791 (24)
American Revolution
18431859 (16)
American Civil War
19251942 (17)
Great Depression/World
War II
2005
Financial or Climate or War on Terror Crisis, or ...
1)
Four Turnings makeup Repeating Cycles
First Turning
is into a High. This is a
post-Crisis era when institutions are
strong and individualism is weak.
i.e. the
post-World War II
American High
Second Turning into an Awakening
is an era when institutions are attacked
in the name of personal and spiritual
autonomy.
i.e., Consciousness
Revolution,
Third Turning into an
Unraveling is the opposite
of a High: Institutions are weak and
distrusted, while individualism is
strong and flourishing.
i.e., the
Long Boom and
Culture Wars, beginning in the mid
1980s and ending in the late 2000s.
Forth
Turning Ends with a
Crisis
in which
Americas institutional life is
destroyed and rebuilt in response to a
perceived threat to the nations
survival.
i.e., the stock
market crash of 1929 and climaxed
with the end of
World War II.
2)
Crisi Turnings
start with a catalyst.
Black Tuesday, 10/ 29/ 1929,
Great Powers Constellation
Abe Lincoln Elected, 12/1860, Civil War
Constellation
Note, this short 67
year constellation had no Hero Generation, third
and forth turnings were combines into one
period. It ended poorly.
Boston Tea Part, 12/16/73 for the Revolutionary
War
3)
Four Archetypes will face a crisis
Four generational
archetypes ("expression of one of the enduring
temperaments--and life style myths-- of mankind.")
that repeat sequentially, in rhythm with
the cycle of Crises and Awakenings are created by two eras
types and the two formative age locations associated with
them.
Generation
Archetypes:
Idealist, Reactive,
Civic, Adaptive.The Fourth Turning Prophet,
Nomad, Hero,
Artist
The generations in
each archetype not only share a similar age-location in
history, they also share some basic attitudes towards
family, risk, culture and values, and civic engagement. In
essence, generations shaped by similar early-life
experiences develop similar collective personas and follow
similar life-trajectories.
Prophets
are born near the end of a Crisis, during a time of
rejuvenated community life and consensus around a new
societal order. Prophets grow up as the increasingly
indulged children of this post-Crisis era, come of age as
self-absorbed young crusaders of an Awakening, focus on
morals and principles in midlife, and emerge as elders
guiding another Crisis.
Due to their
location in history, such generations tend to be remembered
for their coming-of-age fervor and their values-oriented
elder leadership. Their main societal contributions are in
the area of vision, values, and religion.
Nomad
generations are born during an Awakening, a time of social
ideals and spiritual agendas, when young adults are
passionately attacking the established institutional order.
Nomads grow up as under-protected children during this
Awakening, come of age as
alienated, post-Awakening adults, become pragmatic
midlife leaders during a Crisis, and age into resilient
post-Crisis elders.[44]
Due to their
location in history, such generations tend to be remembered
for their adrift, alienated rising-adult years and their
midlife years of pragmatic leadership.
Hero generations are born after an
Awakening, during a time of individual
pragmatism, self-reliance, and laissez faire.
Heroes grow up as increasingly protected
post-Awakening children, come of age as
team-oriented young optimists during a Crisis,
emerge as energetic, overly-confident midlifers,
and age into politically powerful elders
attacked by another Awakening.
Due to
their location in history, such generations tend
to be remembered for their collective military
triumphs in young adulthood and their political
achievements as elders. Their main societal
contributions are in the area of community,
affluence, and technology.
Artist generations are born during a Crisis,
a time when great dangers cut down social and
political complexity in favor of public
consensus, aggressive institutions, and an ethic
of personal sacrifice. Artists grow up
overprotected by adults preoccupied with the
Crisis, come of age as the socialized and
conformist young adults of a post-Crisis world,
break out as process-oriented midlife leaders
during an Awakening, and age into thoughtful
post-Awakening elders.
Due to their location
in history, such generations tend to be
remembered for their quiet years of rising
adulthood and their midlife years of flexible,
5) Dynamics
Generations
that come of age as young adults during
a Crisis or an Awakening directly absorb
the lessons of that defining era, and
carry these lessons forward in their
attitudes and behaviors later in life.
Strauss and Howe label these dominant
generations. Generations that grow up as
children during a Crisis or Awakening
take a dependent role during that
defining era, which shapes their later
attitudes and behaviors very
differently. Strauss and Howe label
these recessive generations.[46]
As a youth generation comes of age and
defines its collective persona an
opposing generational archetype is in
its midlife peak of power.
One reason why the cycle of
archetypes recurs is that
each youth generation tries
to correct or compensate for
what it perceives as the
excesses of the midlife
generation in power. For
example, Boomers (a Prophet
generation, whose strength
is individualism, culture
and values) raised
Millennial children (a Hero
generation, whose strength
is in collective civic
action). Archetypes do not
create archetypes like
themselves, they create
opposing archetypes. As
Strauss and Howe explain,
your generation isnt like
the generation that shaped
you, but it has much in
common with the
generation that shaped
the generation that shaped
you.[47]
This also occurs because the
societal role that feels
freshest to each generation
of youth is the role being
vacated by a generation of
elders that is passing away.
In other words, a youth
generation comes of age and
defines its collective
persona just as an opposing
generational archetype is in
its midlife peak of power,
and the previous generation
of their archetype is
passing away.
6) Summary from Wiki/font
- An average life is
80 years, and consists
of 4 periods of ~20
years
- Childhood -->
Young adult -->
Midlife -->
Elderhood
- A generation is an
aggregate of people born
every ~20 years
- Baby Boomers -->
Gen X -->
Millennials -->
Homeland Gen
- Each generation
experiences "four
turnings" every ~20years
- Crisis --> High
--> Awakening -->
Unraveling
- A generation is
considered "dominant" or
"recessive" according to
the turning experienced
as young adults. But as
a youth generation comes
of age and defines its
collective persona an
opposing generational
archetype is in its
midlife peak of power.
- Dominant:
independent behavior
+ attitudes in
defining an era
Recessive: dependent
role in defining an
era
- Dominant Generations
- Prophet:
Awakening as young
adults. Awakening,
defined:
Institutions are
attacked in the name
of personal and
spiritual autonomy
- Hero: Crisis as
young adults.
Crisis, defined:
Institutional life
is destroyed and
rebuilt in response
to a perceived
threat to the
nation's survival
Recessive Generations
- Nomad:
Unraveling as young
adults. Unraveling,
defined:
Institutions are
weak and distrusted,
individualism is
strong and
flourishing
- Artist: High
[when they become]
young adults. High,
defined:
Institutions are
strong and
individualism is
weak
