如果说,在中国存延了数千年的三世、四世同堂的重合家庭结构没有理由强制地使其寿终正寝,其中所含有的美德还需要加以继承和发扬,那么,当中国逐渐步入现代社会,特别是在城镇,出现了重合家庭结构自行解体的趋势却是有目共睹的。这必然联系到所谓的“代沟”。“代沟”含义虽然广阔,泛指两代人之间多方面的价值观念上的差异,但其中首要的恐怕还是关于家庭生活方式在两代人思想观念上的差异和必然表现出来的行为差异。在西方,目前重合家庭已很罕见,两代人之间各自不愿依附别人,也不愿别人依附自己的独立化观念及与其相适应的构筑独立式家庭的行为已被认为是种民族习俗,其实这不过是社会发展的必然产物。笔者曾对几位美国已婚青年作过直接调查,事实正是如此。这主要体现为两点:一是居住独立,二是经济独立。后者甚至到了为中国人所难以理解的一方贫困也不向富翁一方借钱的程度。在我国,“代沟”虽然有相当的深度和广度,不过为社会发展状况所决定,在许多方面形成的冲突还不够明显,倒是在家庭生活方式上表现得颇为尖锐。从这个角度讲,我国的“代沟”简直就是家庭矛值的代名词。 If we say that there is no reason why the overlapping family structure of the third generation or the fourth generation living in China for thousands of years must be forcefully brought to an end and the virtues contained therein need to be inherited and developed, then when China gradually enters the modern age It is obvious to all that society, especially in cities and towns, has seen a tendency of self-disintegration of overlapping family structures. This necessarily relates to the so-called “generation gap.” Although the meaning of “generation gap” is broad and generally refers to the differences in values ​​between generations, the primary one is probably the difference in behavior ideas of family lifestyles between two generations and their inevitable manifestation. In the West, at present, family reunification has been very rare. Each of the two generations is reluctant to attach itself to others and does not want others to rely on their own concept of independence and to adapt to them to build independent families. It has been considered as a national custom, In fact, this is but an inevitable result of social development. The author has conducted direct investigations on several married Americans in the United States. This is exactly the case. This is mainly reflected in two points: First, living independently, and second, economic independence. The latter even reached the level of poverty that the Chinese could not understand and did not borrow money from the rich. Although the “generation gap” in our country has a considerable depth and breadth, the conflicts that have emerged in many aspects are not obvious enough for the development of the society. Instead, they are quite sharp in their family lifestyles. From this perspective, the “generation gap” in our country is simply synonymous with family spear value.