Generation Z's Positive and Negative Attributes and the Impact on Empathy After a Community-Based Learning Experience

Perception of mortality 

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GEN Z’S ATTRIBUTES AND THE IMPACT ON EMPATHY AFTER A CBL EXPERIENCE
4 
Like all generations, examining the historical time in which a generation grew up 
explains pervasive characteristics typical to its members. Generation Z lived through the terrorist 
attacks of September 11, 2001 when the oldest of this cohort were about 5 years old; these 
attacks then led to the war in Afghanistan, which is still going on today. While they may not 
remember these critical events, Generation Z has witnessed parents, family members, friends, 
and acquaintances who have been actively involved in the war. Another cohort-specific 
experience that has normalized violence is school shootings. The first mass school shooting 
began with the Columbine shooting in the late 1990’s; 288 school shootings have occurred since 
GenZ started school in 2009. This generation knows a world of war and shootings, which 
directly and indirectly impact them, and this can have advantages and disadvantages. Generation 
Z can either think of the world as unsafe or have greater global awareness about what their world 
is like (Twenge, 2017).
There is evidence that one consequence of this generation’s experiences with violence to 
their perception of mortality is that Generation Z is less likely to take physical risk. Not taking 
physical risk can be problematic because instead of confronting fears, it appears that GenZ 
members avoid them and do not build necessary coping strategies (Twenge, 2017). A survey, 
Monitoring the Future, examined 8
th
and 10
th
graders and asked them questions regarding their 
likelihood to take risks or engage in dangerous acts. In 2015, less than 40% of teens “like to take 
risks sometimes” compared to the 2000s where over 50% of teens agreed with the statement 
(Twenge, 2017). Furthermore, with GenZ’s decline of risk taking and increase of perception of 
mortality there appears to be an increase in empathy because they are more understanding of 
what is happening to the world around them.