DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
DO-YOU-KNOW-SCALE
If you don't know about the Do-You-Know scale, you should. And your family, friends and clients with small children and grandchildren will thank you for informing them. Here's why:
Emory University psychologists Robyn Fivush, Ph.D., and Marshall Duke, Ph.D., created a 20-question 'Do-You-Know' quiz to study how families pass on their history to succeeding generations.
This study found that children in families who could answer most of the questions with a 'yes' exhibited higher levels of self-esteem, a greater sense of self-determination and fewer behavioral problems.
While the results provide an interesting insight into the child development process the real revelation is in the process of acquiring the knowledge.
Answers to the 20 questions entail knowledge the children could not have learned from observation but had to be told. And it is in the telling, the sharing of stories that occurs within the family that really binds the generations. Surprisingly, the process is far more important than the product.
What Do You Know?
How many of the same 20 questions can you answer? You might be surprised.
1. Do you know how your parents met? Y N
2. Do you know where your mother grew up? Y N
3. Do you know where your father grew up? Y N
4. Do you know where some of your grandparents grew up? Y N
5. Do you know where some of your grandparents met? Y N
6. Do you know where your parents were married? Y N
7. Do you know what went on when you were being born? Y N
8. Do you know the source of your name? Y N
9. Do you know some things about what happened when your brothers or sisters were being born? Y N
10. Do you know which person in your family you look most like? Y N
11. Do you know which person in the family you act most like? Y N
12. Do you know some of the illnesses and injuries that your parents experienced when they were younger? Y N
13. Do you know some of the lessons that your parents learned from good or bad experiences? Y N
14. Do you know some things that happened to your mom or dad when they were in school? Y N
15. Do you know the national background of your family (such as English, German, Russian, etc)? Y N
16. Do you know some of the jobs that your parents had when they were young? Y N
17. Do you know some awards that your parents received when they were young? Y N
18. Do you know the names of the schools that your mom went to? Y N
19. Do you know the names of the schools that your dad went to? Y N
20. Do you know a relative whose face "froze" in a grumpy position because he or she did not smile enough? Y N
Source: Duke, M.P., Lazarus, A., & Fivush, R. (2008). Knowledge of family history as a clinically useful index of psychological well-being and prognosis: A brief report. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 45, 268-272
LEGACY MATTERS! PASS IT ON!
