Change of Plans!

Change of plans! Don't worry, I'm still going to Italy in 3 short months, BUT I am thinking very seriously about changing my research project in a somewhat dramatic way. In my field study preparation course we were explaining our projects to other students and having them ask questions. While I feel like I had a very solid grasp on my project and it's purpose, even as I was explaining it to others in a way that was logical--where my bases were covered, I felt like I was missing a step. One of my facilitators, Sarah, asked me, "Do you think you'll be able to understand what Italian marriage is after three months?" I answered honestly, "No, but I can try." The thing is, I think before I can understand Italian marriage, I must understand the Italian family, and to understand family, I must understand the value system of the Italian family. While I haven't conducted a research project on the American Family, I could tell you many of the things that are important to most families in America--or at least the part of America I've grown up in--because I'm a part of it, I've observed families, I know families, and I understand them. I want to understand the Italian family the way I understand the American family. I understand that 3 months of research can't compensate for 21 years of experience, but--with the right research method--I can be a lot more efficient in coming to understand the Italian family.

I want to understand Italian culture, not make
assumptions about it based on my
current view of the world

 

In a world of shifting values, I think it's important to ask questions, and to ask them often. Yes, there is some research out there about the Italian family. No, I haven't read up on all of it. But I do know that a lot of it is outside observation, and strong stereotypes affecting studies. While I think there is at least some truth to every stereotype, I don't want to base my knowledge off of that. I think observation while living in the country will be important to that, but even more so, I want to go straight to the source and ask the people of Italy what is important to them and WHY they feel that way?

I, of course, must consider Intergenerational Transmission which is the idea that "lifestyle" is passed on from one generation to the next, this includes beliefs (ideologies & values), behavior patterns (ways of doing things), communication (skills & handling differences), as well as emotions (intimacies & handling stress). Typically a person doesn't even realize that they have inherited certain beliefs and behavior patterns because they don't know anything different. It's like the--slightly lame--joke goes,

Fish 1: How's the water?

Fish 2: What the heck is water?

The significance of this joke/quote is that it's easy to forget, or even to be completely unaware, that our surroundings, beliefs, and practices are only normal to us because it's what we know. In a class about marriage and family, my teacher asked the question, "Which way does the toilet paper roll go on the holder?" To my surprise, it started quite the debate in class--some felt the the toilet paper should hang over the roll, while others felt it should hang under the role. Some individuals could give reasons to why their way was superior, but most had just grown up in a home where that was the way it was. This, I believe, will be the biggest challenge to my project. I may have to focus more on what Italians judge as their most important values. Most of the time individuals answer honestly on self-report questionnaires, so it's not that I think anyone would answer dishonestly...I think I can get a good understanding of Italian values through self report, I just wonder how well I'll be able to gather information on the 'why?' portion of my research question. Well, I guess if my research question was easy, it wouldn't be worth studying. :)