The article that Mr. Mullins posted on his blog, called "The Stories That Bind Us," was very interesting. I would've never thought that regularly talking about positive and negative events that contribute to one's identity would have such a profound effect in reinforcing a child's confidence and self-esteem. Overall, the article was astounding, especially because I didn't realize that there was a whole field of research dedicated to this.
That being said, I don't really agree with some of it. I think that the evidence from the experiments conducted is valid, and I'm not questioning Dr. Duke's or Dr. Fivush's intelligence. I just think that their research only applies to families that live in America (note: this doesn't only mean Caucasian families, this could include my immediate family because I am Indian, but I still live in America). All stereotypes and generalizations aside, I do have some valid reasons for this. My family (which includes my mom, my dad, my older sister, and myself) is very open and I do know pretty much everything about my parents and grandparents. I agree that this has made me have a strong sense of identity and confidence, in terms of religion and culture. And the reason that my family has had this sense of openness is because my parents, over the course of 21 years have become accustomed to the American environment of being open with their children.
I can tell you that in some other countries, this isn't the case. Parents aren't always open with their children. By no means does this mean that they're bad people, their culture just doesn't dictate this aspect. Families can still be close-knit in other countries, but the concept that learning about one's past can reinforce their identity may never occur to other cultures.
Another reason for my belief is that personally, communication about these sorts of things has never worked out. Sure, my immediate family is very open with me as mentioned earlier. But my grandparents, who live with us now, aren't really used to that. The only reason I know anything about them is because of what my dad told me about his childhood. Again, they're not necessarily bad people for that, but this isn't really in their habits. And my theory is that if some concept isn't already a part of one's culture, they're not about to act on that concept because they may see it as offensive.
As you can see, I'm not completely ruling out the communication aspect of the article. I didn't look into the experiment, so I'm obviously not educated about this field of study. I just think that in other cultures, and even with older generations, the facts of the article may not always be the case.
That being said, I don't really agree with some of it. I think that the evidence from the experiments conducted is valid, and I'm not questioning Dr. Duke's or Dr. Fivush's intelligence. I just think that their research only applies to families that live in America (note: this doesn't only mean Caucasian families, this could include my immediate family because I am Indian, but I still live in America). All stereotypes and generalizations aside, I do have some valid reasons for this. My family (which includes my mom, my dad, my older sister, and myself) is very open and I do know pretty much everything about my parents and grandparents. I agree that this has made me have a strong sense of identity and confidence, in terms of religion and culture. And the reason that my family has had this sense of openness is because my parents, over the course of 21 years have become accustomed to the American environment of being open with their children.
I can tell you that in some other countries, this isn't the case. Parents aren't always open with their children. By no means does this mean that they're bad people, their culture just doesn't dictate this aspect. Families can still be close-knit in other countries, but the concept that learning about one's past can reinforce their identity may never occur to other cultures.
Another reason for my belief is that personally, communication about these sorts of things has never worked out. Sure, my immediate family is very open with me as mentioned earlier. But my grandparents, who live with us now, aren't really used to that. The only reason I know anything about them is because of what my dad told me about his childhood. Again, they're not necessarily bad people for that, but this isn't really in their habits. And my theory is that if some concept isn't already a part of one's culture, they're not about to act on that concept because they may see it as offensive.
As you can see, I'm not completely ruling out the communication aspect of the article. I didn't look into the experiment, so I'm obviously not educated about this field of study. I just think that in other cultures, and even with older generations, the facts of the article may not always be the case.
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