Have you heard of intergenerational transmission?
Hi,
My name is Martha and I'm your guide through your journey to recovery from narcissistic relationships.
Let's talk about intergenerational transmission.
The concept of intergenerational transmission is a term that has roots in various disciplines,
Such as psychology,
Sociology and anthropology.
It was first coined in the context of family studies to describe the phenomenon where behaviours,
Attitudes and various psychological traits are passed down from one generation to the next and so on.
IFS,
Or Family Systems Theory,
Posits that families are emotional units and individuals just simply cannot be understood in isolation from one another.
Instead,
Family members are interconnected and their emotional well-being affects each other in quite intricate ways.
What's the process and what are the complexities of intergenerational transmission?
Well,
It's not quite straightforward.
It's not as simple as saying,
Oh,
I inherited my mother's insecurity or I've got my father's temper.
It's an interplay between the genetic predispositions we inherit and the environment in which we are raised.
Research has shed light on this complex interaction of nature and nurture.
Certain genetic predispositions can be activated or exacerbated by environmental triggers,
Especially the family environment,
Contributing to the continuation of specific behaviours or traits.
What's the role of culture and society then?
Societal norms and cultural expectations often shape family behaviours.
And that adds another layer of complexity to intergenerational transmission.
Social expectations often perpetuate,
For example,
Gender roles and other societal norms within the family,
Thus affecting the behaviours that get passed down.
Yes,
And guess what?
Those behaviours that got passed down then feed into culture and society.
So you could say it's a bit of a feedback loop.
Let's talk about the emotional and psychological impact.
On an emotional level,
The process of intergenerational transmission can be both a gift and a curse,
While positive traits like resilience,
Kindness and work ethic,
For example,
Can be passed down.
Unfortunately,
So can negative patterns like emotional abuse,
Neglect and various other forms of toxicity.
Narrative identity,
Or the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves,
Is often actually inherited from the family narrative.
These stories can either empower or limit us,
Affecting our emotional health as well as our interpersonal relationships.
And in pretty significant ways.
Okay,
Breaking the cycle.
First of all,
You need to be aware.
So awareness is the first step in breaking the cycle.
How do you gain awareness?
The obvious answer would be therapy and counselling.
That's quite effective to delve deeper into your family history.
But you can also do your own research and you can explore the stories that are being told in your family.
You can create what I call a genogram.
A genogram is something that is not always related to genes as such.
It's like a family tree of family relationships.
So you can draw a family tree and go as far as you can gather information about your ancestors.
And then note down what kind of person they were,
Their circumstances,
Their culture.
And you can find what life decisions they might have made and what stories they will have been told.
And often what transpires when I do work with my clients is that they identify stories and behaviours.
And how they trickle down the generations,
Arriving with them.
And then what happens is this conscious choice to end the unhealthy behaviours,
Traits and narratives.
But you might also discover a line of very brave,
Courageous and resilient people.
I hope you found this little talk on intergenerational transmission interesting.
See you soon!
