Generation gap in Poland.

The phrase: “generation gap” was defined in the social sciences in the 1960s by Margaret Mead. There is a lack of understanding of the world between young people and their parents which is mainly caused by industrial development and cultural changes. In Poland, the generation gap exists because of dramatic global industrial developments and radical domestic political transformations.

Firstly, Poland is a part of the global world. Therefore, we have the generation gap due to rapid, global, industrial development. For example, swift technological development inevitably created job specialisations. Young people are made to focus on particular fields of specialisations while their parents have broad knowledge of their professions. Differences in education gave them an inconsistent perspective of the world. On the other hand, the same technological development created a more global modern society. For instance, almost every home has a computer with internet access and cabled-TV-sets linked to international channels. This technology has also enabled young people to be global citizens through wireless communication. Our parents’ generation did not have the same opportunities or experiences. They were more involved with their local communities and commited to traditional ways. Therefore, they have a lower level of tolerance towards cultural diversity which also impacts on broadening the generation gap.
Furthermore, the industrial development has an influence on a higher standard of living nowadays than it was a few decades ago. Young people are able to entertain in several ways, such as partying, travelling, playing sports. They had less to worry about the difficulties of every day life than the older generation. Therefore, they did not understand their parents who had a more cautions attitude. However, life today moves as fast as technological development and young people are expected to be skilled in time management, pragmatics, have total mobility and a willingness to accept some challenges expected by their employers. Thus, establishing a professional career and growing wealthy are more important than a family. People can spend evenings alone in companionship with the TV or the computer. Therefore, young people prefer to be single as opposed to their parents who enjoy family life. If we are in a community, we have to respect others needs. Our parents’ generation is more altruistic while young people are more selfish because they get used to caring just about themselves.

The second main reason for the generation gap in Poland is the country’s radical political transformation. Parents lived under a completely different political system than the younger generation. For instance, under communism parents could have a passive attitude towards job seeking. The new generation in Poland is living under a democracy. It means, for example, that they are taking part in an extremely difficult job seeking competition. They must be more active to survive. Those differences in attitudes widen the generation gap. There is also lack of empathy between parents and young people in the sense of security. Parents were able to feel secure in their lives which remained constant. The lives of many young people are quite unstable. It makes them appear insecure. Moreover, this contrast in the number of challenges between generations caused their different attitude towards changes. Young people are more able to adapt to changing conditions. Parents prefer to do everything to keep a familiar order in their lives.
Also, the structure of Polish families was modified due to the political transformation which had an impact on the generation gap. In communism, people lived together in the multi-generation families. Parents would like to keep this structure. However, the young generation want to live separately. It caused countless misunderstandings between parents and young people. While the parents generation is more focused on their own family wellbeing, young people are more interested in a whole-society life. It caused differences in their understanding of citizen responsibilities. Parents, who grew up with a lack of freedom, are not ready to make decisions about their society. Young people not only have freedom of choices but also have a sense of responsibility towards their country.
Nevertheless, education in Poland has changed due to the political transformation. For example, health promotion is more popular for young people. They want to be more active and follow some haelthy diet rules. Differences in attitude towards food and diet caused problems between generations in every day lives. Another subject, such as education in communication skills is a reason for lack of understanding between parents and young people. The younger generation have knowledge about rules in communication and emotional intelligence but their parents can not compete with them in a discussion.

In summary, it is obvious to conclude that the global industrial development impacts on the existing generation gap in Poland. Especially, the technological development improved the conditions of young people’s lives and enabled them to have an attitude to life different to their parents. Also the domestic political transformation has a significant influence on the generation gap in Poland through the modern education and is responsible for dissimilarities in values between the two generations.