Understanding Generational Values and Traits

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Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Millennials, Generation Z… These terms are used frequently to describe personalities, education, traits, values, and age, but what do they mean? The names of the generations, along with the years of birth designated for each vary slightly depending on the source utilized for research, but most of the core values and personality traits remain the same across resources. Zemke, Raines, and Filipczak (2013) described Traditionalists as “the generation whose vision and hard work built the foundation of the world we live in today” (p. 27). Traditionalists lived and fought in World War II. Baby Boomers grew up during the upturn post WWII and they believe in growth and expansion, are optimistic and self-centered but still team oriented with a deep desire for personal growth and self-exploration (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2013). Generation X was the birthing recession post Baby Boomer generation and is termed the latch key generation. They are self-reliant survivalists that crave balance and are nontraditional about time and space with a very casual attitude toward authority. They tend to be cynical and edgy and technologically savvy (Zemke et al., 2013). Generation Y and Millennials are often considered the …show more content…

To investigate this further, I decided to adapt the survey from Bullen et al. (2011) and distribute it to higher education students in the undergraduate and graduate radiologic science programs at Midwestern State University as well as doctoral students at the University of North Texas. Before using this survey for an official study, the validity and reliability of the instrument needed to be

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