Posted by Heleni on February 11, 2002 at 23:21:18:
In Reply to: A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER IS LOOKING FOR INPUT ON BEING RAISED IN A GREEK FAMILY posted by ELLENY on February 10, 2002 at 21:35:21:
Last time I looked it was difficult for EVERY teenager of every background to grow up in the world of the last 20-30 years or so. Separation and autonomy are issues for ALL teenagers, be they living with both parents or more and more often these days, one parent. As for differences with other teenagers from non-Greek families, they too had their problems - identical problems but expressed in a different way. Growing up is tough in any culture, especially if the culture of the home is not reflected in the 'polis'. This would apply to children of any newly-arrived background. Rather than focus on the teenager in relation to the larger polis, perhaps you may like to focus on if/how the polis/larger community singles out those individuals as 'different'. One doesn't know one is different until it is pointed out by the behaviour/attitudes of others. What I'm trying to say is perhaps you may be better served by focusing on the larger picture, look at the issue sociologically rather than psychologically, otherwise you are in danger of falling into a culturally imperialist trap of seeing 'difference' as a pathology. Don't mean to sound harsh or anything, but difference is not the basis of 'illness', the 'illness' lies in those who seperate out those that are different.