The intergenerational transmission of identity in Jewish women: Case studies of dynamic family processes

This study examines the ever-evolving process by which identity develops and is transmitted within families of Jewish women. It builds upon the literature on theories of identity, the development of women's subjectivity, the Jewish narrative, the intergenerational transmission of trauma and attachment patterns, and on psychoanalytic theories of unconscious communication. In each of three families, three generations of women along the maternal line (a mother, daughter, and granddaughter) participated in separate semi-structured interviews informed by psychoanalytic theory. A total of 9 interviews were conducted with women between the ages of 23 and 87. Exploring intraspychic dynamics within each participant and interpersonal dynamics between members of each generation, this study aimed to uncover familial themes related to identity and to trace their transmission from one generation to the next. Searching for conscious and unconscious patterns and links, it considered both implicit and explicit themes that reflected the unique intergenerational transmission of identity in each family. It also identified themes that emerged across all three families, and discussed broader generational themes between families, in relation to larger socio-cultural and historical issues.