Intergenerationology: The Scientific Study of Circular Movement Between Generations

In this article, we propose a new term, "intergenerationology." Intergenerationology is proposed as a unified term to describe the numerous research and practice models concerning many aspects of circular movement between generations. We define the term intergenerational, with historical context related to research, practice, and policy in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. We also describe how different disciplines have interacted with regard to generations from different yet complementary points of view. Having the term intergenerationology will (a) enable the acceleration and unification of intergenerational studies and practice across disciplines by promoting easy communication among disciplines, (b) encourage more research from diverse science disciplines by giving a name to a popular area of study within them, and (c) provide a recognized term for researchers and practitioners to define their specific teaching, practice, and research interests.