Deep Structure of Culture by Joshua Thompson

Who made the major decisions in your family? Mother? Father? Both? Other family members?

21jathompson — 2024-09-19 17:22:15 UTC

In my family, my dad was the head of the household. This meant he made the major financial decisions and pretty much any logical decisions influencing the family. He would run these decisions by my mom, but for the most part he was in control of the major decisions. This definitely made my family more male dominated. I think it would have been good for me to see as a kid both my mom and my dad working together to form a decision so in turn, I could see it’s possible for anyone to make hard decisions.

What was the attitude toward the elderly?

21jathompson — 2024-09-19 17:27:44 UTC

The most prevalent example of elderly in my family were my grandparents. For my grandparents, it was expected to respect them and to take care of them. I think my family attitudes toward the elderly were typical American views. So besides respecting them and taking care of them, it also meant that the elderly were the wisest people in the room.

How were you rewarded?

21jathompson — 2024-09-19 19:11:05 UTC

As a child, I was rewarded with material things like candy, video games, toys, money, and fun outings. For example, when I would get good grades in elementary school my dad would take me to the local arcade with my siblings for the day. Later in middle school my dad stopped taking me to the arcade and just gave me money for every A I got. This method or rewarding emphasized a value of material things for me.

How were you punished?

21jathompson — 2024-09-19 19:17:36 UTC

The most typical way I was punished when I did something wrong was being grounded. This usually meant I had to stay in my room for a specific time or I could not see my friends. Another way I was punished was doing extra chores around the house. In this case, I had to finish my extra chores before I could see my friends or watch tv. As I grew up, my punishments usually became my parents taking away my phone.