The question being raised for this Forum discussion is: Intergenerational- Multigenerational Relationships: To What Extent Are They Synonymous?
The respondents were asked to think about this question in relation to the Brownell & Resnick 2004 article with the same title published in a previous issue of the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships. The respondents were also asked to be
thoughtful about the following scenario: Is the relationship between a 60 year-old mother and her 20 year- old daughter and the relationship between a 60 year-old boss and a 20 year-old employee both considered to be intergenerational relationships? Does there need to be a “generation removed” for the relationship to be intergenerational (some believe that a 20-year gap marks a generation, but what makes that 20-year gap intergenerational versus multigenerational)? It is possible for a 60 year-old woman to have a 20 year-old daughter as it is possible for a 60 year-old to have a 20 year-old granddaughter. For some, the 60 year-old mother and the 20 year-old daughter would not be considered to have an intergenerational relationship because they are not a generation removed.
We hope you enjoy the two responses to this Forum question as much as we did!
Catherine J. Tompkins Sacramento Pinazo
INTERGENERATIONAL OR MULTIGENERATIONAL? A QUESTION OF NUANCE.
Feliciano Villar
University of Barcelona (Spain)
In the last few decades social and behavioral sciences seem to be affected by a kind of term proliferation disease. Hopefully, this phenomenon could be attributed to a greater conceptual sophistication and an increase in the complexity of issues which the scientist or practitioners have to deal with. So, new terms are proposed as a way to isolate nuances that could be relevant from a theoretical, empirical or applied point of view.
However, in some cases the differences among terms are so small and their use so interchangeable that they could provide unwanted confusion, leading to think that maybe sometimes word-coining reflects a desire of leaving an imprint on the field rather than a real need for a new term.
Is this the case with the opposition between the terms ‘intergenerational’ and
‘multigenerational’? Are their meanings different, being a welcome addition to our field?
Or, on the contrary, do they mean basically the same and we might as well getting rid of one of them for the sake of simplicity? According to Brownell and Resnick (2005), the issue is relevant because the terms are being used interchangeably in some forums (e.g.
UN documents and programs). My position is in this case similar to the one expressed by these authors: they mean different things and the difference is worth being preserved.
The term ‘Intergenerational’ implies the involvement of members of two or more generations in activities that potentially can make them aware of different (generational)
perspectives. It implies increasing interaction, cooperation to achieve common goals, a mutual influence and the possibility of change (hopefully, a change that entails improvement). In contrast, ‘multigenerational’ is usually used in a related but far broader sense: it means to share activities or characteristics among generations, but not necessarily an interaction nor an influence among them.
Thus, certain policies, for instance, could be qualified as ‘multigenerational’ if they are addressed to more than one generation and are adapted to generational circumstances or differential generational needs. However, policies or programs would be intergenerational only if they seek, for instance, to modify ‘generational points of view’
(maybe increasing their mutual understanding) or to promote products or services created by collaboration among people of different generations. Similarly, in the academic arena we can qualify a study as ‘multigenerational’ if their participants belong to different generations. However, such a study only would be ‘intergenerational’ if it is focused on the mutual influence among generations and how such an influence potentially change their beliefs, attitudes, behavior, material circumstances, etc.
Such difference in meaning is confirmed by the actual use of the terms. If it is assumed that the presence on the Internet could be a fair indicator of that use, we see how a search in Google produces different profiles for each term. ‘Intergenerational’ appears far more frequently than ‘multigenerational’ (7.8 millions of references in the first case, 1 million in the second one) and their links are not particularly overlapping: whereas intergenerational is often related to programs and initiatives, ‘multigenerational’ is associated with demographics (particularly the expression ‘multigenerational households’) and institutions open to different generations. A similar picture appears if
we limit the search only to academic links using Google Scholar: ‘Intergenerational’ is especially related to transfers between generations (of money, of knowledge, etc.), while
‘multigenerational’ is linked with sample composition or with the idea of a phenomenon that affects to more than one generation at the same time.
Moreover, the contrast between ‘intergenerational’ and ‘multigenerational’ also resembles the difference of meaning and use existing between similar pair of words, like
‘interdisciplinar’ and ‘multidisciplinar’. As in our case, ‘interdisciplinar’ efforts are those in which specialists drawn from two or more academic disciplines work together in pursuit of common goals, maybe to tackle a complex problem or as a mean to reduce the bias arisen from an excessive specialization. Such collaboration ideally produces theoretical, methodological or practical advances. In contrast, ‘multidisciplinar’ means that the same issue could be approached from different perspectives, but does not imply communication or convergence between disciplines.
However, it should be recognized that the contrast between ‘intergenerational’
and ‘multigenerational’ becomes fuzzier when the two terms are accompanied by the noun ‘relationships’ (intergenerational relationships versus multigenerational relationships). In that case the difference tends to be blurred because any relationship could imply influence and change, the core meaning of ‘intergenerational’. So, as long as the focus is on the relations between generations, the issue should be labeled as
‘intergenerational’ rather than ‘multigenerational’. In this case, we think that it would be wise to use only ‘intergenerational relationships’, discarding ‘multigenerational relationships’ to avoid confusion.
So, according to these arguments, it seems justified to sustain that both terms (intergenerational and multigenerational) have their own particular meaning and contexts of use. One of the aims of science is the creation of more and more encompassing and accurate frames of knowledge to understand the world, frames that will enable us to design efficient interventions as well. That aim only could be possible through a precise and useful set of concepts and ensuring a common understanding of these terms.
ARE THE TERMS INTERGENERATIONAL AND MULTIGENERATIONAL SYNONYMOUS?
Molly Davis
George Mason University U.S.A.
It is my opinion that the terms intergenerational and multigenerational should be
considered synonymous. Underlying this statement is the belief that these terms can be considered different if one chooses to “split hairs”, but for the sake of the effort to bring attention to the more important issues, should these terms be considered synonymous?
First let’s look at the definitions. Intergenerational according to the American Heritage Dictionary (2000) is defined as” being or occurring between generations.” Another definition for intergenerational is pertaining to or for individuals in different generations or age categories (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 1997). Multigenerational is defined as “of or relating to several generations” (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000) . Anyone examining these definitions can see that there are some important themes
reflected in both terms. First, both terms highlight the involvement of different generations, however defined. There are many controversies around the definition of generation, but for the purposes of this argument, it does not matter. However generation is defined, both terms speak to several different generations. Secondly, both terms
address the interaction between and among those generations. The interactional or relational aspect of both terms is vital to their meaning. After all, both terms suggest the connection, linkage, joining, sharing and/or involvement of different generations. The common current flowing through both terms is relationship. Some suggests that
intergenerational should be used to focus on the relationship between individual members of different generations(Brownell and Resnick,2004). Multigenerational would be then reserved for more structural macro relationships. I suppose you could, in the spirit of
“finding differences” highlight these differences, but I believe to move forward we need a more inclusive approach rather than exclusive. Lastly, both terms relate to central themes that are vital for moving our understanding of intergenerational concepts, research and intervention approaches forward. These concepts have the potential to develop a research agenda for the expansion of our knowledge base about intergenerational and multigenerational relationships.
• What are the core dynamics of relationships across generations? What are the patterns of social exchange for support and resources?
• What are the mechanisms of transmission across generations? How is knowledge, beliefs, behaviors transmitted from generation to generation?
• How do we live “shared lives”? How do we get along and resolve conflict? How do we challenge stereotypic thinking that separates rather than links?
• How do we develop interventions that promote positive relationships, resolve
generational conflict and stimulate transmission of positive lifeways?
It is clear to me that if we can move beyond highlighting differences and move toward focusing on similarities we will have the energy to address the much more exciting future prospects addressed above. The United Nations has recognized and resolved this issue by using the terms intergenerational and multigenerational interchangeably (Brownell and Resnick, 2004). I suggest we follow their lead.
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2004), Fourth Edition, New York, Oxford, University Press
Brownell, P, and Resnick, R.P. (2004) Intergenerational-multigenerational relationships:
Are they synonymous? Journal of Intergenerational Relationships.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary (1997), Random House Publisher,
United Nations (2003). Toward a society for all ages.
(http://www.ujn.org/esa/socdev/ageing/ageall.htm). Retrieved on-line July 28,2006.
