For a Dialogue on Relations between the Generations

M. E. Sharpe, Inc. 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504. Tel: 800-541-6563; Fax: 914-273-2106; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.mesharpe.com

Y

13

Foreign Countries; Young Adults; Mass Media; Cultural Influences; Adolescents; Surveys; Stereotypes; Social Change; Age Differences; Social Attitudes

1060-9393

This article reports the findings of a study examining how young people in Russia rate themselves and their parents' generation. The sociological survey was carried out in 1999 and 2001 in a number of big and small towns of Russia. The focus of the study was on three generations: the "generation of the 1960s" (children of the thaw); children of the era of stagnation; and children of perestroika. The objectives of the study are the following: (1) To study existing stereotypes of perception of the generations in the context of "us and them"; (2) To study factors and mechanisms serving to shape the models of the "image of us" and the "image of them" and to determine the most prevalent stereotypes reflecting socium and age; and (3) To determine the "zones of intersection and modality of the interests of the generations and the level of dialogue readiness of representatives of the different generations." The authors of the project proceeded on the basis that the social "image" of "the other" generation is shaped under the influence of a number of factors, of which these are the most essential: (a) The cultural aspect of relations between the generations as it has become entrenched in the national mentality; (b) Stereotypes of the perception of "the other" as shaped in the mass media and in other sources of mass cultural influences; and (c) Each generation's own experience of relations with representatives of the other generation. Findings reveal that in the consciousness and behavior of young people the old paternalistic, dependent sentiments are gradually being replaced by a mindset that is oriented toward their own active involvement, resourcefulness, and independence. Furthermore, more and more young Russians want to live in an economically strong, rule-of-law state, without corrupted bureaucrats and gang lawlessness, a state in which their talents and abilities will be in demand. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)

ERIC

5

2007

EJ748326