Abstract
Researchers’ attempts to focus attention on the importance of relationships to explain intergenerational relations, provide little insight to explain the relational nature of intergenerational relationships. This presentation sets out to demonstrate how data obtained from the Mmogo-method®, in combination with the Intergenerational Group Reflecting Technique, were used to develop SIGT. Drawing on the General Systems Theory and the interactional approach, SIGT explains the relational/interactional nature of intergenerational relations. Relationships are viewed as the reciprocal, continuous communicative interactions between members of different generations. Thus, from a pragmatic perspective, focus or punctuation enables observation and description of different units of the relational interactions, namely the intra-individual, inter-individual, and group units of analysis. The intra-individual unit of analysis encompasses individuals’ subjective experiences (emotions/feelings), and the problems or meaningfulness associated with the interactions between people. The intra-individual unit of analysis gives an indication of what takes place in the inter-individual and group units of analysis. The inter-individual unit of analysis involves (1) the context in which the interactions take place; (2) the definition of the relationship; (3) relational qualities (observable behaviour); (4) the motivation (social goals/needs) for interactions between people; and the (5) interactional processes. The group unit of analysis describes intra- and intergroup group behaviour. These units of analysis, which occur simultaneously and reciprocally, are embedded in the broader social, cultural, political and economic environments which informed them. SIGT will be applied to intergenerational relations in a rural South African context.