Fourth Turning is a Crisis

The Fourth Turning is a Crisis. Old Artists (born 1925-1942) die, Prophets (born 1943-1960) enter Elderhood, Nomads (born 1961-1981) enter midlife, Heroes (born 1982-2004) enter young adulthood—and a new generation of child Artists (born 2005-??) is born. This is an era in which America’s institutional life is torn down and rebuilt from the ground up—always in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s very survival. Civic authority revives, cultural expression finds a community purpose, and people begin to locate themselves as members of a larger group. 

In every instance, Fourth Turnings have eventually become new “founding moments” in America’s history, refreshing and redefining the national identity. America’s most recent Fourth Turning began with the stock market crash of 1929 and climaxed with World War II. The generation that came of age during this Fourth Turning was the Hero archetype G.I. Generation (born 1901 to 1924), whose collective spirit and can-do optimism epitomized the mood of the era. Today’s Hero archetype youth, the Millennial Generation (born 1982 to 2004) show many traits similar to those of the G.I. youth, including rising civic engagement, improving behavior, and collective confidence.

A Fourth Turning is an era in when the availability of social order is low, but the demand for social order is high. Examples of earlier Fourth Turnings include the Civil War in the 1860s and the American Revolution in the 1770s—both periods of momentous crisis, when the identity of the nation hung in the balance.

Moods of the Four Turnings
GENERATION ENTERING…	FIRST TURNING	SECOND TURNING	THIRD TURNING	FOURTH TURNING
	(HIGH)	(AWAKENING)	(UNRAVELING)	(CRISIS)
ELDERHOOOD	Nomad	Hero	Artist	Prophet
MIDLIFE	Hero	Artist	Prophet	Nomad
YOUNG ADULTHOOD	Artist	Prophet	Nomad	Hero
CHILDHOOD	Prophet	Nomad	Hero	Artist
FAMILIES	Strong	Weakening	Weak	Strengthening
CHILD NURTURE	Loosening	Underprotective	Tightening	Overprotective
GAP BETWEEN GENDER ROLES	Maximum	Narrowing	Minimum	Widening
IDEALS	Settled	Discovered	Debated	Championed
INSTITUTIONS	Reinforced	Attacked	Eroded	Founded
CULTURE	Innocent	Passionate	Cynical	Practical
SOCIAL STRUCTURE	Unified	Splintering	Diversified	Gravitating
WORLDVIEW	Simple	Complicating	Complex	Simplifying
SPECIAL PRIORITY	Maximum Community	Rising Individualism	Maximum Individualism	Rising Community
SOCIAL MOTIVATOR	Shame	Conscience	Guilt	Stigma
SENSE OF GREATEST NEED	Do What Works	Fix Inner World	Do What Feels Right	Fix Outer World
VISION OF FUTURE	Brightening	Euphoric	Darkening	Urgent
WARS	Restorative	Controversial	Inconclusive	Total