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Millennials: The New Generation in American Culture

Written by Claire E. Hughes, Ph.D.

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Millennials: The New Generation in American Culture
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Table 1- Millennial Characteristics and Positive and Negative Aspects

Characteristic	Positive Aspect	Negative Aspect
Networked	Strong connections with friends, family	Fearful of strange and unknown- timid
Expressive	Differences are highlighted within acceptable limits; Options allow children to personalize an experience	Unhappy when there are no choices; Lack of original creativity; Little acceptance of outside aesthetic standards
Collaborative	Works well with others; listens to a variety of voices to solve a problem; deeply connected to family and friends	Rarely takes individual responsibility; Does not perceive “cheating” as an issue
Multi-tasker; technology-savvy	Can handle numerous demands on time; Uses multiple resources to locate information	Cannot pay attention to one task at a time; quality of product suffers; Impatient with delay, research and complexity
Strive for integration	Break down boundaries between work, school, home	Expects everything to be “fun”

Table 2- Buster Characteristics and Positive and Negative Aspects

Characteristic	Positive Aspect	Negative Aspect
Practical, focused on reality	Realistic, practical	Cynical, little emphasis on relationships
Flexible	Able to change plans quickly	Disloyal
Personable	Friendly and open to differences	Overly casual
Focused on individualization	Individualistically expressive	Not a team player; selfish
Striving for Balance	Focus on the family	Less committed to a particular job or company

Table 3- Boomer Characteristics and Positive and Negative Aspects

Characteristic	Positive Aspect	Negative Aspect
Driven to succeed	Hard workers	Workaholics; interested in trappings of success
Aware of buying and cultural power	Aware of history and making a difference	Self-absorbed
Aware of complexities of choices	Aware of multiple perspectives	Hypocritical
Idealistic	Dreamers, visionaries	Impractical
Involve others	Involve others in decision making	Waste time with excessive meetings

Table 4- Veteran Characteristics and Positive and Negative Aspects

Characteristic	Positive Aspect	Negative Aspect
Builder of systems and organizations	New ways of doing things	Rigid within authority lines
Aware of other’s expectations	Establish criteria; determine rules for operations	Judgmental
Focused on work and success	Disciplined	Distant
Family of high importance	Sacrifice for the family	Martyrdom

Generational Conflicts

Each generation creates“… the reaction of each generation to what it perceives as the excesses of the generation of its elders. … In other words, your generation isn’t like the generation that shaped you. It’s like the generation that shaped the generation that shaped you.” (Howe & Strauss, 2007, p. 47). Thus, the Millennials are a reaction to what they perceive the excesses of the Buster generation, while the Buster generation was in response to the excesses of the Boomer generation. For example, while the Veteran generation advocated sacrifice for their families, the Boomer generation valued hard work and symbols of that success. The Buster generation saw the fallout on the family of all of that hard work, and strove to find a balance between work and home. Finally, the Millennial generation perceived that such a balance was unattainable and is advocating integration of home life and work life. As a result, you see many more young adults working in fields where they can telecommute, or work from home via their computers.

There has been very little research on the generation that comes after the Millennials. They might be eventually called the “Homeland Generation”. However, this group of children has not yet developed purchasing power or significant cultural presence. As a parent myself of young children, I am intensely curious to see how they define themselves as teenagers. My mother assures me that they will be nothing like me or my generation, but will reflect her generation’s values and approaches. Thus, she will be vindicated- life really IS about having grandchildren!

Claire Hughes, an Assistant Professor at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, is a cynical Buster, married to a less cynical Buster Greek-American and is the mother of two young “Homeland generation” children.

References

Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2007). The next 20 years: How customer and workforce attitudes will evolve. Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2007, 41-52.

Mannheim, K. (1952). Essays on the sociology of knowledge. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.

Photo Credit: istock.com/mevans

Claire E. Hughes, Ph.D.
		About the author:
		Claire Hughes is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Bellarmine University with expertise in the areas of learning disabilities, autism, and gifted education. Her research interests include “twice-exceptional” children, or gifted children with disabilities, and multi-cultural education.
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