Generations - A New Way of Looking at the Future of Society

The term generation didn't come about until the 1800s. Neil Howe and his co-author, William Strauss, go back to the 16th century in their analysis of Anglo-American generations. According to Howe, each generation has a certain archetype that repeats in a cycle: profit, nomad, hero, and artist. As the generations march forward, it's possible to predict the way society will change.