Citation

Starr JM. J. Soc. Iss. 1974; 30(2): 73-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1974, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00716.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The period of the sixties marked the emergence of a distinctive generational ideology among a substantial segment of American youth. This "peace and love" ideology featured a high degree of age group consciousness and unique integration of life style and political concerns, the psychological foundation for which was laid by the increased differentiation of age roles and de-differentiation of sex roles associated with advanced industrial development. The expansion of higher education, emergence of the multibillion dollar youth market, and growth of the mass media provided the means by which many such youth were able to achieve consciousness of their common interests and join active generation units with distinctive styles of expression. The war in Indochina constituted the traumatic episode which differentiated the various age groups in America and galvanized the middle class, college segment of the youth cohort into action.

Language: en