Family Stories and Myths
Using Family Stories As A Research Tool
Family stories and myths are difficult to quantify according to the scientific paradigm (Bruner 1987; Connelly and Clandinin 1990; Reason and Hawkins 1988). This difficulty in quantification is one reason why there has been little research by social scientists. Family therapists, literature and folklore scholars, and others more inclined toward qualitative methods have produced most of what is known about the salience of myths and stories to contemporary family life. Their research has done much to explicate the subtle yet important dynamics at the heart of family interaction.
See also: COMMUNICATION: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; FAMILY AND RELATIONAL RULES; FAMILY FOLKLORE; FAMILY RITUALS; GENDER IDENTITY; INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS; RELATIONSHIP METAPHORS
Bibliography
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Bagarozzi, D., and Anderson, S. (1982). "The Evolution of Family Mythological Systems: Considerations for Meaning, Clinical Assessment, and Treatment." Journal of Psychoanalytic Anthropology 5:71–90.
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Connelly, F., and Clandinin, D. (1990). "Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry." Educational Researchers 19:2–14.
Diedrick, P.; Martin, P.; and Hagestad, G. (1986). "Gender Differences as Reflected in Family Stories." ERIC Document Reproduction Service #ED279929. Washington, DC: ERIC Document Reproduction Service.
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Morrow, C. (1999). "Family Values/Valued Families: Storytelling and Community Formation among LBG Families with Children." Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bi-Sexual Identity 4(4):345–356.
Reason, P., and Hawkins, P. (1988). "Storytelling as Inquiry." In Human Inquiry in Action, ed. P. Reason. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
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Sherman, M. H. (1990). "Family Narratives: Internal Representations of Family Relationships and Affective Themes." Infant Mental Health Journal 11(3):253–258.
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JAMES J. PONZETTI, JR.
YVONNE KELLAR-GUENTHER
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily & Marriage TraditionsFamily Stories and Myths - Definition Of Family Stories And Myths, Functions Of Family Stories And Myths, Metaphors, Using Family Stories As A Research Tool