Assignment: My Cohort Paper

The concept of a cohort or generation is central to understanding the life span perspective. People who are born during the same ten- to fifteen-year period share a historical context and are often categorized as similar along multiple dimensions. Understanding your own cohort, as well as other cohorts born during different periods, helps you understand how to most effectively provide human services to your population of interest.

Tasks: Write a 2- to 3-page reflection paper and discuss the shared experiences of members of your cohort. Your paper should be based on your personal experiences as well as research on your generational cohort. Additionally, you may choose to include information and examples from other people who are members of your cohort (e.g., friends, roommates, and classmates). The goal is to present an accurate and well-rounded overview of your generational cohort. Some topics to consider in your paper are:

• Major historical events that shaped your development

• Attitudes toward diverse cultural groups

• Attitudes toward gender roles

• Ideas about music and artistic expression

• Attitudes toward military service

• Typical family constellation

• Attitudes toward education and work

How does your cohort's worldview differ from the worldview of someone twenty years younger and twenty years older than you?