Last Thursday, I sat in meeting with two 20-somethings, a handful of Gen X-ers and a couple dozen Baby Boomers eager for the presenter to shed light on the mysterious generation that has been named “The Millennials.” Interestingly, the “Strawberry Generation” overlaps the U.S. definition of Millennials.
As a Gen X-er with Millennial sympathies, I find irony in some of the criticisms of the younger generation. “Lack of experience,” “overconfidence” and “questioning authority” seem like characteristics that could be attributed to youth of any generation. (If the ’60s wasn’t a time of questioning authority in the U.S., I don’t know what was! And what was the Roaring Twenties about?) Both Millennials and Strawberry Generation youth are said to have been overpampered by their parents — so it seems Boomers and Gen X-ers should share the blame in creating such an entitled generation.
I was also fascinated with the reading on Chinese personality research, particularly K.S. Yang’s theory of social orientation. I have always been aware of other people’s opinions and thoughts and highly motivated by feedback from authoritative figures — teachers and bosses, primarily. In both education and work settings, my desire to please others through accomplishments has often been misinterpreted as self motivation. It has also resulted in me sometimes feeling like an imposter — like I’m living someone else’s life.
Asian-American females have high suicide rates, and one researcher (Eliza Noh) has attributed it to expectations and family pressure. She calls this “model minority” pressure. But I have often wondered if there are some inborn personality traits at play, as well. Influenced by cultural forces, have we been, essentially, bred to be a certain way? And what happens when the world changes around us, when the rules change? How do we leverage those personality traits to succeed in a new culture?
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