Three eras in social evolution (Coté, adapted from Mead).17,18
| Pre-modern | Modern (industrial) | Late modern (post-industrial) | |
| Determinant of social relations | Family (kinship ties) | Work (relationship to the ‘means of production’) | Consumption (leisure, lifestyle, spending) |
| The family | Rigid roles; children learn from parents | Expected but negotiable roles; learn from peers | Parents' experience ‘irrelevant’; parents learn from children |
| Social class defined by | Inherited position | Occupation | Access to resources |
| Nature of identity | Fixed at birth | Developed by socialisation and parenting | Flexible; responsive to emerging challenges |