How Minds and Mental Health are Influenced by Past Generations

Ask anybody, regardless of race or ethnicity, whether what happened in their family a long time ago, is still affecting them in some way today. Everyone can point to interactions from the past that continue to influence the present. You will find that many cousins do not know each other because one or both of their parents had a “falling out” a long time ago. You will find scandalous examples of relatives who were envious or lied about particular people, some resented for reasons rooted in half-truths rather than facts. And the patterns of chaos and conflict get repeated because many people never truly communicate to clear up misinformation and misunderstandings.

You will find patterns of domestic abuse repeated when people learned to handle anger by lashing out and blaming others. People who consider themselves immigrants to America will be less puzzled about why certain people were able to go to college or earn enough money to buy a house and car while other members of society got stuck in grinding generational poverty. You will have fewer questions about why certain people still behave like previous generations, such as what happens when racists pass on their ignorance, hate and hostility to their children.

There is no question that people from diverse backgrounds were impacted in different ways by historical events. No one is completely unaffected…