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