JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES VOLUME 30, NUMBER 2, 1974 Time, Aging, and the Continuity of Social Structure: Themes and Issues in Generational Analysis Vern L. Bengtson University of Southern California Michael J. Furlong University of Hawaii zyx Robert S. Laufer Brooklyn College, CUNY zyx Generational analysis has developed rapidly in recent years. Three progressive stages of theory and research can be traced: (a) a “classic” period during which competing perspectives were developed regarding the impact of youth groups on social structure (Mannheim, Parsons and Eisenstadt, Davis and others); (b)a phase focused on interpretations of the youth protest movement or on processes in old age, and characterized by the development of new conceptual and methodologi- cal tools to examine change over time; (c) a period of consolidation and reformulation, with more precise specification of competing theoretical frameworks and the analysis of a growing body of empirical data. From this effort five issues emerge which summarize the perspec- tive of generational analysis: (a) definition and dimensions of “genera- tion” as a construct; (b) assessment of continuity or discontinuity between ‘The literature review reflected in this paper was in part supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (#18158) to the University of Southern California. We wish to thank Richard Braungart, Neal Cutler, Denise Kandel, Joseph Kuypers, Steven Lubeck, Jerold Starr, Jenny Terrell, and Eugene Thomas for helpful criticisms of an earlier draft, and Ingrid McClendon and Kim Edwards for technical assistance. Acknowl- edgment is also made to support from the National Science Foundation’s RANN program (#GI 34953~).