ABSTRACT
Summary In turning to the relationship between self and other, this chapter introduces the problem of empathy between generations. This has been conceived as the relative ability to put oneself in the place of the generational other, and as such would be a key element in developing high levels of Generational Intelligence. A significant roadblock to the development of such empathy, would be forms of social ageism, which can take the shape of the imposition of a dominant age-group’s priorities onto other groups whose own life-priorities are then eclipsed. The recognition that the age-other is in some way different, also creates a problem of how to work with people of different age groups and generations. Generational consciousness has often been conceived as the awakening of a sense of generational identity in one group, which can lead to conflict between it and other groups. This can be contrasted with a state of generational solidarity. It is suggested that rather than taking one end of this opposition, between conflict or solidarity, a generationally intelligent approach would attempt to make sense of both, allowing a relative ability to act with awareness of one’s own generational circumstances, while also taking the priorities of other groups into account.
