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Social Generation Category

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Social Generation Category, Lost Generation, Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomer, Generation X, GenX, Generation Y, GenY, Millenial Generation, Generation Z, GenZ, Generation Alpha, GenAlpha

  • See Also
  1. Patient Communication
  • Precautions
  1. Social Generation characteristics are stereotypes, and individuals may vary widely from these descriptions
  2. U.S. social generations are heavily impacted by U.S. specific events and do not generalize to U.S. Immigrants
  3. Personality traits (and Personality Disorders) may also significantly impact communication
  • Types
  • U.S. Generations
  1. Lost Generation ("Generation of 1914")
    1. Born 1883 to 1900
    2. Generation who became adults during World War 1 and the Roaring Twenties
  2. Greatest Generation ("G.I. Generation")
    1. Born 1901 to 1927
    2. Generation who became adults through the Great Depression and World War 2
  3. Silent Generation ("Lucky Few")
    1. Born 1928 to 1945
    2. Generation who became adults through the Korean War and Vietname War
    3. Characteristics
      1. Cautious, reserved, observant, Disciplined, adheres to traditions, and has respect for authority
      2. Value hard work and loyalty
    4. Communication style
      1. Prefers direct face to face comunication using formal titles
      2. Prefers formal written letters over digital communication
      3. Prefer to easy to understand medical explanations
  4. Baby Boomer
    1. Born 1946 to 1964
    2. Large generation who became adults during Vietnam War and the counter culture 60s, and the malaise years 70s
      1. Large social changes and economic growth
    3. Characteristics
      1. Strong work ethic and strongly independent
      2. Value self fulfillment to follow their hopes and ambitions
    4. Communication Style
      1. Appreciate clear and direct communication, and in-depth discussion with chance for questions
      2. Value collaboration in health care decisions, and have respect for experience and knowledge
      3. Open to behavior change
      4. Comfortable with technology and digital communication, but also value personal, face-to-face interaction
  5. Generation X ("Baby Bust")
    1. Born 1965 to 1980
    2. Characteristics
      1. Adaptable, independent, self-reliant ("Do-It-Yourself"), practical, resourceful, but also skeptical
    3. Communication Style
      1. Value honesty and efficiency
      2. Comfortable with face-to-face interactions as well as digital interactions, appreciating technologies' convenience
      3. Value collaboration and a well-informed experience, with evidence-based explanations and will often do their own research
  6. Generation Y (GenY, "Millenials")
    1. Born 1981 to 1996
    2. Characteristics
      1. Value work-life balance, while emphasizing social responsibility
      2. Collaborative, with an overall positive outlook
    3. Communication Style
      1. Value convenience, quick and efficient communication, especially via digital avenues (text, emails, portals)
      2. Value easy access to their clinical data to allow them to make informed decisions
      3. Appreciate collaboration and transparency
  7. Generation Z (GenZ, "Zoomers", "Digital Natives")
    1. Born 1997 to 2012
    2. Older of Generation Z became adults during the Covid19 Pandemic
    3. Characteristics
      1. Pragmatic, open-minded and resourceful problem solvers
      2. Value work-life balance, individuality and diversity
      3. May be more prone to stress and depressed mood, as well as Acute Stress Disorder to Traumatic events
      4. Very comfortable with advanced technology and the internet, and may quickly ingest material
        1. However, online sources may be more difficult to ascertain accuracy, evidence-base
    4. Communication Style
      1. Value authentic communication, transparency, honesty and social consciousness
        1. Appreciate when teachers are honest about their own vulnerabilities, and resilience examples
      2. Value visual communication (messaging, video), especially quick, as-needed information access
        1. May need guidance in advancing soft-skills and face-to-face communication
      3. Appreciate efficient and quick self service (e.g. TeleHealth, online scheduling, cloud-based calendars, protocols)
        1. May need to set boundaries for contact times and expectations (not 24/7 responses)
    5. References
      1. (2025) Presc Lett 32(1): 5
  8. Generation Alpha (GenAlpha)
    1. Born 2013 to mid-2020s
  • Resources
  1. Generation (Wikipedia)
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation
  • References
  1. Aziz (2024) WMJ 123(2):68-9 +PMID: 38718227 [PubMed]