Study On The Action Modes Changes Of The Rural Elderly In Intergenerational Conflicts

To use Literature, Depth Interviews and Participant Observation, from a perspective of Intergenerational Relationships, this thesis studies the intergenerational conflict situations between the rural elderly and their married children, and the action modes of the rural elderly in the intergenerational conflict among the process of social structure change. We explain the action modes changes of the rural elderly in the intergenerational conflict then reveal the change process and practice characteristics of intergenerational relations in rural areas. This study will provide a new perspective for our understanding on intergenerational relationships.Through investigating the rural elderly on different ages,the author focuses on action of the rural elderly on sixty in the different period in the intergenerational conflict. Our reason is that between the rural elderly on sixty and their married child has more significant conflict, which will help our research on the impact of social structure change on intergenerational relationships.Firstly, from three aspects of action intensity, violence and publicity, the author analyzes the practice characteristics of intergenerational conflict and the action modes of the rural elderly in the intergenerational conflict. In the thesis, the historical period since the reform and opening is divided into three stages: from the late seventies of the twentieth century to the mid-eighties, from the late eighties to the early nineties, from the mid-nineties to now. Study find that since the Reform and Opening up, the rural elderly show diverse action modes which are showing different intensity, violence and publicity at each stage, but as a whole, all kinds of action modes tend to reduce. Especially, those action modes reduce significantly of which are showing higher intensity, violence and publicity, and the extreme action modes disappear gradually. In other words, the action modes of the rural elderly in intergenerational conflict tend to weaken and be more private.In order to elaborate on the actual action course of the rural elderly in intergenerational conflict, we also need analyze the action strategy of the rural elderly. The author analysis from three aspects: their own resources, social support resources and filial norms. We find that, in terms of own resources, the rural elderly use the action strategy of'economic sanctions','production assistance sanctions', grandparents raising in the conflict, furthermore, the ability of which the rural elderly use these strategies will be different in different ages. In terms of social support resources, the rural elderly use the action strategy of using social network and using public opinion in the conflict; for the action strategy of using social network resource, the rural elderly tend to narrow the scope of the network and use self support; for the action strategy of using public opinion, the rural elderly tend to use public opinion of small groups and to not use the public opinion in lieu of using public opinion of the overall village. In terms of filial norms, the rural elderly use the action strategy of using'compliance type'filial norms, reconstructing the filial norms, resisting the new norms and so on. Be noted that the rural elderly will have different action strategy in different periods.The change of value appeal of the rural elderly in intergenerational relationships is the inner reason for their alteration in action features and strategy. The study focuses the value appeal of the rural elderly on economic, emotional, power and prestige. We find that the economic value appeal of the rural elderly tend to decrease, appeal turn to hybrid and currency type from material type; the emotional value appeal of the rural elderly tend to increase, appeal turn to low emotional expectations from higher emotional expectations, and turn to'ontological'emotional needs from the type of complying with courtesy; the power value appeal of the rural elderly tend to decrease, appeal turn to indirect intervention from direct intervention; the prestige value appeal of the rural elderly tend to decrease, appeal turn to self performance from real play.Finally, the thesis analyzes the reason of the action of the rural elderly in intergenerational conflict from the perspective of changes in social structure, and it focus on macro social structure, village structure and family structure. (1)The implementation of Contract Responsibility system in agriculture lead to the tension between generations in some degrees, the implementation of Benefiting-peasants Policy lead to warming relations between generations, the loose of Urban-rural dual structure lead to reversal of intergenerational relationships. (2) Changes in the village social structure lead to weaken social support systems of the rural elderly: loosening of the village of interpersonal ties lead to the alienation of the village relationships; changes in the value system lead to the village farmers enhance autonomy, reducing interference in village affairs of others; changes in village'save gas'mechanism lead the decline in support system of the rural elderly.(3) Changes in family structure have changed the logic of action for the rural elderly: changes in family size have changed the logic of action of the rural elderly; change of superposition degree has changed the logic of action of the rural elderly.Through the analysis of the above described, we can conclude from the following aspects: (1) Improving economic conditions for the rural elderly have a decisive role on reducing the intensive degrees of the action of the rural elderly in intergenerational conflict. (2)The decline of external social support system operations weakens the openness of conflict. (3) The weakening of superposition can help reduce the frequency and intensity of conflict, thereby affecting the action mode of the rural elderly. (4) The change of exchange logic has changed the intergenerational expectations of the rural elderly, thereby affecting their action mode. (5) Changes in social structure have an important impact on the action of the rural elderly in intergenerational conflicts.