Life, My Daughter, is Not the Way You Have It in Your Books: Themes from the Confrontation of Social Science Theory and Method with Common Sense in Greek Immigrant Families. (Volumes I and II) (Adjustment, Mobility, Culture).

Abstract

This study explores the twofold puzzle encapsulated in the Petrohoritans' (Pre-World War II Greek peasant immigrants) refrain, "Life, my daughter, is not the way you have it in your books." One facet is the discrepancy between their experience in America and social science underst and ings; the second is the inadequacy of mainstream methodology. There is little overlap between the theorists' picture of peasants in America and Petrohoritans. I seek to account for these theoretic discrepancies. Petrohoritans lacked capital and urban skills yet became successful entrepreneurs. What contributed to this success? How did they Americanize while maintaining family cohesiveness and Greek identity? How is it that: Characteristics linked to low mobility led to the obverse? Characteristics linked to ethnic segregation led to dispersion? Familism facilitated rather than opposed mobility? The concept of "peasant" proved inapplicable to Greek peasants. The answers found to "How and why?" accord with orthodox achievement theory and the importance of the achievement syndrome to mobility. The discrepancy between theory's predictions about adjustment and Petrohoritan reality reveal the importance of the actors' structure of logicality (assumptions, concepts, schemata) embedded in their commonsense knowledge and sociohistorical past. Their logicality functioned like a theory to provide guidelines for perceiving and responding to reality. The study explores this structure's prominent characteristics (especially those pertaining to familism, autonomy, achievement, and self-concept) and its contribution to adaptation. The study's findings and methodological contributions pertain to learning from and about people. Mainstream methodology proved inappropriate; the methodology which evolved and which has high heuristic value is termed "conflict methodology." Petrohoritans did not, e.g., respond to st and ardized questions, they dissected them. Particularly consequential is the concept of culture including difficulties in learning of the cultural assumptions on which people act but of which they are unaware and the Protestantization of thought disguised as social-science theory and method. The findings point to the usefulness of methodological democracy with the respondents as the source of wisdom, the precariousness of knowledge derived solely from responses to research questions, the importance of probing and multiple information sources (especially observations), and the rapport and insider status suggested by the "daughter of mine" appelation.Ph.D.Social researchSocial psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160838/1/8600506.pd