Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T00:17:38.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Contrasting Cultural Profiles between Generations: Interests and Common Activities in Three Intrafamilial Generations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Franz Kolland
Franz Kolland
Affiliation:
Institut für Soziologie, Universität Wien, Alser Strasse 33, A-1080 Wien, Austria.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper is concerned with intercultural relationships within the trigenerational family. As part of our study of sociostructural changes affecting the family, we have looked at these relationships from a basis of the concepts: generation gap and seriality between generations. The information reported in this paper was obtained from twenty inter-generational triads (ten female, six male, four mixed) who were given a series of highly structured and open ended questions by trained interviewers. The results showed significant differences in the definitions of culture given by the three generations. The most important result in analysing ‘taste cultures’ and cultural activities within trigenerational families is that within the trigenerational family there are varying relationship structures and that these are perceived differently by the different generations. This is attributed to an overall process of individualisation in society. The findings indicate that similar taste cultures and shared activities in grandparent-grandchild generations are not common and that consecutive generations resemble each other more in tastes and activities. In general, the position of the old in relation to the youngest generation can be described as remote. Grandparents are not important in the cultural life of young adult grandchildren and vice versa. On the basis of our findings, it would appear that the family is declining as a factor in the sociocultural integration of the elderly.

Keywords

Value transfercultural activitiesindividualisationgeneration gaptrigenerational familysocial integration
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , September 1994 , pp. 319 - 340
Copyright
Copyright Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aday, R. H., Sims, C. R. and Evans, E. 1991. Youth's Attitudes Toward the Elderly: The Impact of Intergenerational Partners. The Journal of Applied Gerontology, 10 (3), 372–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adelson, J. 1979. Adolescence and the Generation Gap. Psychology Today, 2(1), 33–37.Google Scholar
Allerbeck, K. and Hoag, W. 1985. Jugend ohne Zukunft? Piper, Munich.Google Scholar
Antonucci, T., Gillett, N. and Hoyer, F. W. 1979. Values and Self-esteem in Three Generations of Men and Women, Journal of Gerontology, 34 (3), 415–422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barranti, Ch. C. R. 1985. The Grandparent/Grandchild Relationship: Family Resource in an Era of Voluntary Bonds. Family Relations, 34 (3), 343–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. 1971. Inter-Age Perceptions and the Generation Gap. The Gerontologist II (Part II), 85–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. 1975. Generation and Family Effects in Value Socialization. American Sociological Review, 40 (3), 358–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. 1989. The Problem of Generations: Age Group Contrasts, Continuities, and Social Change. In Bengtson, V. L. and Schaie, K. W. (eds.), The Course of Later Life. Springer, New York, 25–54.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. and Kuypers, J. A. 1971. Generational Difference and the Developmental Stake. Aging and Human Development, 2 (3), 249–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. and Robertson, J. (eds.). 1985. Grandparenthood. Sage Publications, London.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V. L., Rosenthal, C. and Burton, L. 1990. Families and Aging: Diversity and Heterogeneity. In Binstock, R. H. and George, L. K. (eds.), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. Academic Press, New York, 263–287.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. and Schütze, Y. 1992. Altern und Generationenbeziehungen: Aussichten für das kommende Jahrhundert. In Baltes, P. B. and Mittelstraß, J. (eds.), Zukunft des Alterns und gesellschaftliche Entwicklung. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 492–517.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P. 1984. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Translated by Nice, R.. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Braungart, R. G. and Braungart, M. M. 1986. Life course and generational politics. Annual Review of Sociology, 12, 205–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caspi, A. 1984. Contact Hypothesis and Inter-Age Attitudes: A Field Study of Cross-Age Contact. Social Psychology Quarterly, 47 (1), 74–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, J. S. 1982. The Asymmetric Society. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse.Google Scholar
Connell, R. W. 1972. Political Socialization in the American Family: The Evidence Re-examined. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36 (2), 321–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denham, Th. E. and Smith, C. W. 1989. The influence of Grandparents on Grandchildren: A Review of the Literature and Resources. Family Relations, 38 (3), 345–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutsches, Zentrum, für, Altersfragen (ed). 1993. Expertisen zum ersten Altenbericht der Bundesregierung. Vol. 2. DZA, Berlin.Google Scholar
Fend, H. 1990. Sozialgeschichte des Aufwachsens. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt a.M.Google Scholar
Findl, P. 1993. Verwandtschaftsstruktur und Lebensform I: Eltern und Großbeltern. Statistische Nachrichten, 48 (5) 330–336.Google Scholar
Gans, H. J. 1975. Popular Culture and High Culture. Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Giles, H., Coupland, N., Coupland, J., Williams, A. and Nussbaum, J. 1992. Intergenerational Talk and Communication with Older People. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 34 (4), 271–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glass, J., Bengtson, V. L. and Dunham, Ch. C. 1986. Attitude Similarity in Three-Generation Families: Socialization, Status Inheritance, or Reciprocal Influence? American Sociological Review, 51 (5), 685–698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Göschel, A. 1991. Die Ungleichzeitigkeit in der Kultur. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart.Google Scholar
Hagestad, G. 1987. Able Elderly in the Family Context: Changes, Chances, and Challenges. The Gerontologist, 27 (4), 417–422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hettlage, R. 1992. Familienreport. Beck, München.Google Scholar
Hoffman, E. 1980. Young Adults' Relations with their Grandparents: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 10 (3), 299–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyde, V. and Gibbs, I. 1993. A Very Special Relationship: Granddaughters' Perceptions of Grandmothers. Ageing and Society, 13 (1), 83–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jerrome, D. 1990. Intimate Relationships. In Bond, J. and Coleman, P. (eds.), Aging in Society. Sage Publications, London, 181–208.Google Scholar
Kaiser, H.J. 1991 2. Generationsprobleme. In Oswald, W. D. et al. , (eds.), Gerontologie. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 177–185.Google Scholar
Kivett, V.R. 1985. Grandfathers and Grandchildren: Patterns of Association, Helping, and Psychological Closeness. Family Relations, 34 (4), 565–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knipscheer, C. P. M. 1986. Anomie in der Mehrgenerationenfamilie. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie, 19 (1), 40–46.Google Scholar
Kolland, F. and Rosenmayr, L. 1993. Kulturprofile der Generationen. (Mimeo)Google Scholar
Laslett, P. 1976. Societal Development and Aging. In Binstock, R. H. and Shanas, E. (eds.), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 87–116.Google Scholar
Lindahl, M. W. and Back, K. W. 1987. Lineage Identity and Generational Continuity: Family History and Family Reunions. Compr. Gerontology B, 1 (1), 30–34.Google ScholarPubMed
Mitterauer, M. 1980 2. Der Mythos von der vorindustriellen Großfamilie. In Mitterauer, M. and Sieder, R. (eds.), Vom Patriarchat zur Partnerschaft. Beck, München, 38–63.Google Scholar
Mobily, K. E., Lemke, J. H. and Gisin, G. J. 1991. The Idea of Leisure Repertoire. The Journal of Applied Gerontology, 10 (2), 208–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munns, M. 1971. Is There Really a Generation Gap? Adolescence, 6 (2), 197–206.Google Scholar
Nauck, B. 1989. Familiales Freizeitverhalten. In Nave-Herz, R. and Markefka, M. (eds.), Handbuch der Familien- und Jugendforschung. Luchterhand, Neuwied, 325–344.Google Scholar
Payne, S., Summers, D. A. and Stewart, Th. 1973. Value Differences Across Three Generations. Sociometry, 36 (1), 20–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenmayr, L. 1958. Der alte Mensch in der sozialen Umwelt von heute. Kölner Zeilschrift für Sociologie und Sozialpsychologie, 10 (4), 642–657.Google Scholar
Rosenmayr, L. 1984. Socio-Cultural Change in the Relation of the Family to its Older Members. In International Center of Social Gerontology (ed.), Aging well through living better. Vol. 2. International Center of Social Gerontology, Paris, 49–63.Google Scholar
Rosenmayr, L. 1993. Streit der Generationen? Picus, Vienna.Google Scholar
Shell, (ed.). 1992. Jugend'92. Leske & Budrich, Opladen.Google Scholar
Troll, L. E. 1970. Issues in the Study of Generations. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, I (2), 199–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiner, I. B. 1971. The Generation Gap – Fact and Fancy. Adolescence, 6 (2), 155–166.Google Scholar