Continuing the previous Post, Millennials are the following generation, mainly sons and daughters of generation Baby Boomers and Jones[1]. We must go back a little bit to their youth to understand cultural influences on Millennials’ personalities[2]. The atmosphere was disruptive, hopeful, and socially engaged. By that time, “free love” meant respect to diverse sexual orientations, especially gays’ rights. In that context, Psychoanalysis had the strongest theory to understand personality and was, by the way, psychiatry’s most important reference until the urge of pharmacology and images scan. Altogether, as a theoretical model to understand what’s become known as emotional disorders (disorders with unknown etiology) it has fitted like a glove, since their causes would always be, in the end, sexual repression issues. Well, the generation that has fought for civil rights and sexual freedom raised their kids in a freer and more permissive way. Generation X is more focused on career and social mobility -they are called workaholic[3]- but they have assimilated psychosocial changes, which means they are essentially liberals regarding behaviors. And what about Boomers and Xres as parents? Sociological literature is somewhat consensual in considering Millenials as a narcissistic and indolent generation. Narcissistic because they have kept focused on individual achievements: social mobility and performances. And, in addition, they are the first generation to experience the effects of technological revolution, which, progressively, turned social mobility and connectivity into core values in societies and in individuals’ self-perception. Hence, it is fair to assume that Millennials experienced the peak of liberalism- both in private and economic areas. Afterall, they are the result of what Inglehart called post-materialist values. According to him, for this generation, social stability and certain material stability were taken for granted. Therefore, these generations (from Boomers on) grew up with other interests and their aspirations were more directed towards other values such as: quality of life and more liberal ones: “(…) freedom and autonomy, the ability to live their own lives and enjoy diverse lifestyles (…)[4]”, freedom of speech and sexual freedom, sexual and gender diversity. Millenials are also considered a generation that can’t handle pressure (competition), and are also considered more self-indulgent, who have become familiar with burnouts, anxieties, and depression. As a matter of fact, Millenials are a generation that specialized much more to be competitive in the Market and, this way, prolonged their status as students for a longer time- either to study for civil servant positions or to post-graduate[5]. Our goal, however, is not to be judgmental, especially in a matter that exceed the limits and purposes of this essay. The idea is to reflect on how cultural changes have had an impact on individuals today. Millennials incorporate such changes in a new way of life, a new normality that, from the 90s on, has been taken for granted: they are genuinely open-minded in what concern freedom of expression, sexual freedom, and ways of life. Finally, they are also imbibed with a characteristic that may be considered a product of cultural change: they are, since childhood, a questioning generation, and they have given birth to what we call a negotiation era.
To be continued in the next Post [1] Generation born between 1954 and 65 give it or take. [2] Once our goal is to understand cultural influences on changes in subjectivity, it is worth mentioning that most of this sociological literature is North American. Although it is possible to infer common characteristics among Western Societies during the specified time, there are differences between European culture, European, and North American, North and South American, and, especially, between Western and Easter (Asian) ones, at least until de end of 20th century. Yet, regarding this topic, we believe Brazilian and North American culture are quite akin. [3] www.livescience.com [4] Pippa Norris (Cultural Backlash) about the legacy of Ron Inglehart. In: The Ezra Klein Show (New York Times). November 1st 2022. [5] Millennials- generation me. Weekpedia-Free Encyclopedia.
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