Respect in intergenerational relationships : adults' and young adults' motivations

MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014A broad research project was conducted into experiences of respect in intergenerational relationships. The focus of this particular study fell on the motivations of respect for older people from the perspective of adults and young adults. Respect has been identified as an important aspect in promoting intergenerational relationships. In this research, intergenerational relations refer to the interaction between older people (60 + years), who form part of generation 1 (G1) and younger people, generation 3 (G3). Adults and young adults who participated in this study share the same historical generation, meaning that they experienced the same historical events. For the purpose of this study respect is defined as the subjective experience of the interactions between two people from different generations. Previous research into respect in intergenerational relationships has mostly been conducted in Asian and Western countries, with the exception of one study in Ghana, Africa. This existing research focused solely on the types of respectful behaviour employed in intergenerational relationships. Fourteen types have been identified. Philosophers regard respect as an important moral consideration. Adults‟ moral development is complex and linked to their cognitive and ego capacities. Moral development evolves during human development and manifests motivation that usually moves from extrinsic to intrinsic. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) defines motivation as the force that moves people to do something. SDT varies in the amount and type of motivation and also distinguishes among intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation refers to doing something because it will lead to a desired outcome, whereas intrinsic motivation is about an inherently pleasing action. A qualitative approach was followed to describe the experiences of adults and young adults and to identity their motivations for respect. The research was conducted at North-West University‟s Potchefstroom Campus in South Africa to obtain participants who are in a transitional context. The adults and young adults who participated in this study were in a transitional phase: being part of a tertiary educational context confronted them with different world views from what they were used to. Twenty-seven white adults and young adults between 22 and 48 years of age participated. A sample of two men and 25 women who are post-graduate psychology students were conveniently chosen for this study. Data-gathering took place over three days and was conducted in a focus group manner by using the Mmogo-method®. The Mmogo-method® requires that participants receive a lump of clay, grass stalks and beads. Participants were asked to build something to show how they experience respect in relation to a person older than 60 years. Prompting questions were then asked, after which the participants had the opportunity to describe verbally what they had built. Data were analyzed by means of sequential and visual analyses. Data were originally analyzed using within-case displays where each case was analyzed individually; next, cross-case displays were done and linked to the visual presentations to plot on the four presented types of motivation. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying four strategies, including: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. The research was approved by the ethical committee of North-West University. The researcher applied ethical guidelines as prescribed by the Health Professions Council of South Africa during and after the research was conducted. Findings revealed that adults and young adults were moved to respect older people by four different types of motivation, presented as typologies. The types include extrinsic/conditional motivation, extrinsic/unconditional motivation, self-motivated/conditional motivation and self-motivated/unconditional motivation. These findings may be used to develop programmes to promote sustainable intergenerational relationships.Master