Currently, Japan faces an emerging need for intergenerational engagement due to an ageing society with fewer children. In particular, one expects the support from elderly people in local communities under the circumstances of increasing ratios of nuclear family and dual-income couples.
Historically, the differences between generations have been regarded as the probable cause of intergenerational conflict. However, it is essential to reconsider the dynamics of intergenerational exchanges and apply these findings in the development of various intergenerational programs between elderly people and children in local communities.
Therefore, this study is aims to explore the concept of generation from the perspective of intergenerational exchanges. First, I examined the shifts in the traditional theory of generation. Second, I investigated studies in Japan and the United States and then reviewed empirical research projects and theories on intergenerational relationships. Finally, I discussed the subjectand development of intergenerational relationships. In this study, I expect to advance a new framework for the study of generations, "intergenerational exchanges," which is fixed with the social psychological aspects of age and society.
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