Observations on how generations operate are important for the understanding of how their development unfolded and how each varying generation could work together in an office or school environment seems to be of the utmost importance for our future generations. The research portrays many competing and contradictory issues raised as to how each generation is looked at by each other based on their patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. One must also observe the fact that there is also concrete evidence stating there is no connection or differences amongst generations. Another school of thought that exists is a perceivable “weakening” of each generation and the impact of this occurrence on society as a whole.

Based on the research of Lukianoff and Haidt via their 2018 book, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, it is believed that overprotection is harming university students and that the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces does more harm than good. The researchers also argue that many problems on campus have their origins in three "great untruths" that have become prominent in education: "What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker"; "always trust your feelings"; and "life is a battle between good people and evil people". The authors state that these three "great untruths" contradict modern psychology and ancient wisdom from many cultures. Through this research, administrators, managers, teachers, as well as co-workers, would gain a greater understanding for individuals and groups, no matter their generational background, for them to understand each other and to work together, with a particular focus on the up-and-coming Gen Z (1997-2012, 13-28 years old) who are currently in high school, college and the workforce.

This paper will present the research of the various generations of those individuals belonging to the generations of Baby-Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z, as to how they would observe and analyze various social situations for the authors to compare how each generation would handle these situations noting the benefits to how each individual generation could work together in a business environment or educational institution, as there are potentially four generations currently co-existing in any given work environment. An important analysis would be to examine generational productivity and the differences in achieving the same outcome, and if one generation's ability to achieve an outcome is more suitable, sustainable or better in general for the work environment over another. This research also attempts to ask the question: Are our schools, in part, responsible for possibly damaging our future generations in handling life’s challenges?

Keywords: Microaggressions, identity politics, safetyism, call-out culture, and intersectionality.