Distinct societal moods

Each of the four turnings produces a distinct societal mood because a different generational archetype—Prophet, Nomad, Hero, and Artist—is being born, coming of age, entering midlife, or entering elderhood. Generations with the same archetype experience roughly the same kinds of events at the same life phase; a generational archetype can be defined by the turnings that shape it when young and by the turnings it presides over as mature parents and leaders. (Heroes, for example, always come of age during Crises, Prophets during Awakenings.) Archetypes and turnings give rise to each other and, both of necessity, tend to recur in the same order.~ Source