Ecology, Socialization, and Personality Development Among Athabascans

Field work in Alaska and the Southwest and a review of the literature suggest the presence of common dominant personality features among Athabascan-speaking Indians, regardless of rather widely differing social structural characteristics and acculturative influences. We hypothesize that (1) the hars...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Comparative Family Studies
Main Authors: Boyer, L. Bryce, Boyer, Ruth M., Hippler, Arthur E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 1974
Subjects:
Sociology and Political Science
Anthropology
Social Psychology
Athabascan
Subarctic
Alaska
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.5.1.61
https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcfs.5.1.61
Description
Summary:Field work in Alaska and the Southwest and a review of the literature suggest the presence of common dominant personality features among Athabascan-speaking Indians, regardless of rather widely differing social structural characteristics and acculturative influences. We hypothesize that (1) the harsh subarctic environment of the earliest Athabascans necessitated the development of individuals with personality and societal configurations which enabled them to function adequately within the frame-work of their specific ecology and that (2) the conservatism of socialization practices and attitudes accounts for the perpetuation of dominant personality characteristics among today’s widespread Athabascans.

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