Generalization — Purpose

Manage complexity by defining general classes whose characteristics are shared by all members, so that common information is maintained in one place only

Explanation

Generalization is an everyday technique used to manage complexity. Rather than learning the detailed characteristics of everything, we learn about general classes and learn the characteristics of those classes. In system modeling, generalization means common information is maintained in one place — at the most general level — which is good design practice: if a change is proposed, you only need to make it at the most general level.