Quote:Generations posits the idea that each American generation belongs to one of four specific archetypes. These archetypes acquire their specific characteristics from the social conditions they were born into, which in turn were created by the generations that came before them. The generational archetypes therefore repeat in a specific sequential pattern through history, creating cyclically similar events as time progresses. Using a generational length of approximately 20 years, the authors note that cyclical changes in social mood and attitude can be observed as each generation progresses through different stages in life (youth, adolescence, adulthood, old age). As the ‘generational constellation’ shifts with time, society changes in cyclically predictable but subtle ways. But every 80-100 years we experience a complete cycle, or what the authors call a “fourth turning.” The fourth turning is a period of crisis in which old ways are completely abandoned, new directions are chosen and new beginnings commence. According to the authors, there were three previous fourth turnings in American history: 1) The Revolutionary War, 2) The Civil War and 3) The twin crises of the Great Depression and WWII. Note that each event is spaced roughly 80 years from the last.