Helen Parker-Drabble | Author | Speaker | Former counsellor | Family historian

How Key Psychological Theories Can Enrich Our Understanding of Our Ancestors and Help Improve Mental Health for Present and Future Generations: A Family Historian’s Perspective: A Family Historian’s Perspective

A printed edition of an article that first appeared in Genealogy’s Special Issue Focus on’ Family Historians: How Ancestor Research Affects Self-Understanding and Well-Being’. The article is freely available to read online. (Genealogy 2022, 6(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6010004.)

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Understanding ancestors through the lens of psychology.

Article Abstract

Family historians could increase their understanding of their ancestors and themselves, as well as improve the mental health of living and future generations, if they consider the psychological history of their forebears. By familiarizing themselves with psychological theories, genealogists could begin to recognize their family’s unique psychological inheritance that can appear as unresolved trauma, depression, or addiction. In this paper, the author explores three generations of a Parker family branch from Huntingdon/Norfolk, England to show family historians how such considerations can shed light on their family’s psychological legacy. The author does this by introducing us to her great-grandmother Ann (4a), grandfather Walter (4b), and mother Doreen (4c) through the lens of attachment theory (3), and their adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as poverty, bereavement, and addiction in a parent. (Summary table (4).) Attachment  matters  because it affects how safe we feel, our ability to regulate our emotions and stress, our adaptability, resilience, and lifelong mental and physical health. Children’s attachment patterns are greatly influenced by those of their parents, so attachment style has a critical effect on each branch of the family tree. In addition, the paper utilizes attachment theory to speculate on the likely attachment styles for the three generations of the Parker family and looks at the possible parenting behavior in the first two, as well as the effect of alcoholism and, intergenerational impact of trauma and depression (3). Bringing psychological awareness to their genealogical quest can help family historians better answer their question, “who do I think you were?” as they examine the historical records, consider their families’ geographical areas, and explore social and local history. What family historians uncover can be shared with living family, which in turn can inform the health professionals we visit. Psychological insight can give individuals new opportunities to thrive and pass on a healthier psychological legacy.

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