Groups naturally promote their strengths and prefer values and rules that give them an identity and an advantage. This shows up as generational tensions across cohorts who share common experiences, including common elders. Dramatic cultural events in America since 1925 can help create an understanding of the differing value structures of the Silents, the Boomers, Gen Xers, and the Millennials. Differences in how these generations see motivation and values, fundamental reality, relations with others, and work are presented, as are some applications of these differences to the dental profession.
群体自然会宣扬自身优势，偏好能赋予其身份认同和优势的价值观及规则。这表现为经历共同事件（包括拥有共同长辈）的各代人之间的代际紧张关系。自1925年以来美国发生的重大文化事件有助于人们理解沉默一代、婴儿潮一代、X一代和千禧一代不同的价值结构。文中呈现了这些代人在看待动机与价值观、基本现实、与他人的关系以及工作方面的差异，还介绍了这些差异在牙科行业的一些应用。
