Relational Theory and Intergenerational Connectedness: A Qualitative Study

Relational theory encourages women to be connected in relationships. The authors used qualitative methodology to explore the interactions of a nonfamilial intergenerational group of 7 female adolescents (13-15 years) and 5 older women (62-80 years) in a structured retreat. Findings indicated that the participants experienced increased connectivity and feminine identity. ********** Feminist scholars have promoted relational theory as a more inclusive approach to therapeutic change (Gilligan, 1982; Goldner, 2002; Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991; Miller, 1976). These same theorists have advocated the concept that the female sense of self is relational, and this relational connection is a crucial aspect of a woman's identity. Jean Baker Miller (1976) articulated a theory of women's psychology based on relation and connection. Her life experiences led her to embrace the need for women to have affiliations and opportunities for intellectual and creative self-expression. This, in turn, resulted in her development of relational theory, which promotes feminine developmental tasks through relational contexts. We developed this qualitative study to examine how a group of adolescent and older adult females might develop relationships through the sharing of life stories and future plans. We used an intergenerational group to establish connections between five older women and seven female adolescents through their discussion of female developmental issues. Participants were not related and had no acquaintance with each other outside of same-age peer groups. A weekend retreat brought the participants together for 48 hours. The older women shared with the adolescents personal experiences from their lives, spent time building relationships, and established connections during the retreat. The adolescents discussed, described, and reflected their own experiences by sharing their own journeys. This article discusses literature relevant to women's developmental issues, the design for the intergenerational storytelling group retreat, and the information learned through the analysis of qualitative data that was gathered. CONCEIVING THE IDEA FOR THIS STUDY During a clinical internship on an inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit in a large hospital, the second author provided counseling to older women. Groups were conducted twice a week at this facility. Bits and pieces of the older women's personal stories began to emerge and were shared within the group. For these women, personal exchanges in the group setting appeared to be a healing encounter, as suggested by Banks-Wallace (1998). As the groups progressed, these women were asked if they shared their stories with the young people in their respective families. The most frequent answer was no. The women expressed that young people today were too busy. In addition, the women reported they were reluctant to think that anyone would be interested in hearing about their life. The writer Alex Haley said, "The death of an old person is like the burning of a library" (Pipher, 1999, p. 11). In a similar vein, the Omaha Tribe believes that "when you lose an older person, we lose our history. They teach us our songs, keep our language" (Pipher, 1999, p. 288). These sentiments ring true. A wealth of rich information and experiences represented by the women in these groups was being lost because of intergenerational disconnection. It was sad to think that no one else would hear about the experiences of these women. Reflection on these sentiments of the older adult women combined with professional experience in counseling female adolescents with heightened anxiety and stress issues inspired the concept for a research project. What would happen if an environment were created providing both groups of females with the opportunity to share their individual stories? Would they develop a connection? Would the adolescents gain insight concerning their impending developmental issues through hearing the stories of the older women? …