This chapter shifts from examining the Millennial Crisis objectively to exploring how it will feel to live through it. Each person belongs to one of four archetypes, and as these archetypes age into their Crisis-era positions, each generation participates according to its distinct life story.

Since the dawn of the modern world, every Fourth Turning has featured elder Prophets who foment the Crisis by pushing to resolve values conflicts, midlife Nomads who act with pragmatic toughness to defend society, young-adult Heroes who challenge political failure through teamwork and achievement, and child Artists who are overprotected during traumatic conflict. This pattern has recurred five times identically and once with slight variation.

Howe examines seven living generations: the Lost, G.I., and Silent Generations, who defined the Great Depression-WWII Crisis, and the Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Homelanders, who are filling the primary archetypal roles of the Millennial Crisis.

Generations of Late Elders

Until recently, four life phases sufficed to locate all living generations. Once people lived past 88, few survived to have significant impact. Increased longevity now demands recognition of a late-elder phase, which may dampen generationally driven social change by delaying openings for younger leaders.

The Lost Generation (born 1883-1900) had just over 5,000 members alive when the Crisis began in 2008; the last, Susannah Mushatt Jones, died in 2016.