Generation Formation and Communication: a Categorical Analysis

The concept of «generational formation» is explored as an analytical tool for describing the simultaneous coexistence of diff erent generational groups in modern society. The epistemological basis of this approach is the concept of «discursive formation» developed by M. Foucault, which enables the interpretation of generations as carriers of specifi c ways of organizing knowledge, norms, and meanings shaped by historical context. Based on P. Sorokin’s criterial concept, the article outlines a value-based system for analyzing generations that includes seven key parameters. To explain the diff erences in the perception and transmission of values, the concept of a «discursive unit» is introduced, refl ecting a shared linguistic and semantic fi eld within each generation. In the context of communication between such units, J. Lacan’s theory of discourses is applied. To conceptualize the internal complexity and structural heterogeneity of generational groups, the polar-structural method developed by G.P. Fedotov is employed.