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Family Dynamics and Family Scripts: A Case Study of Musical Development

Department of Music, University of Sheffield, U.K., S10 2TNj.w.davidson{at}sheffield.ac.uk

Sophia J. Borthwick

Department of Music, University of Sheffield, U.K., S10 2TN

This paper adds to the literature on the development of musical abilities in children. In particular, it examines the role of parental influence, adopting a much more psychodynamic approach than previous studies in the field, and by so doing is focused around a detailed case study of the Brown family, a white middle-class English family whose members all play musical instruments. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is used to examine the impact of the parents' beliefs and behaviours on their two sons' musical progress. In particular, the eldest son's sense of self is tied up with his mother's "script" about his musical ability is examined. We see that a believed symbiosis between mother and son leads the boy to develop a very positive self image as a musician; whereas the younger brother, who is excluded from the special mother-son "script" rebels against the emphasis on music within the home and seeks his sense of self and identity elsewhere. Byng-Hall's "Family Script Theory" from psychodynamic work in Family Therapy is integrated into our theorising on the outcome of the study.

Psychology of Music, Vol. 30, No. 1, 121-136 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0305735602301009


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