Cycle | Turnings | Life Phases | Generations | Archetypes
Prophet | Nomad | Hero | Artist

Archetypes

A generation is composed of people whose common location in history lends them a collective persona.  The span of one generation is roughly the length of a phase of life.  Generations come in four archetypes, always in the same order, whose phase-of-life positions comprise a constellation.

• The Prophet archetype is born in a High, enters young adulthood in an Awakening, midlife in an Unraveling, and elderhood in a Crisis. 
• The Nomad archetype is born in an Awakening, enters young adulthood in an Unraveling, midlife in a Crisis, and elderhood in a High. 
• The Hero archetype is born in an Unraveling, enters young adulthood in a Crisis, midlife in a High, and elderhood in an Awakening. 
• The Artist archetype is born in a Crisis, enters young adulthood in a High, midlife in an Awakening, and elderhood in an Unraveling.

From The Fourth Turning, William Strauss and Neil Howe, Copyright 1996 Broadway Books. All rights reserved. To learn more, visit www.fourthturning.com.