<first-time moms in this very tender time very seldom want to know that 
there are lots of right ways to do things. They don't want to hear an array 
of ideas on anything. "Just tell me how to do it." "That's not what my 
other nurse said.">

This - as well as Jeanette's lovely post - reminds me of the book "Women's Ways of Knowing," from the 1980s.  After interviewing women of all ages, educations, and socioeconomic groups, the authors came up with 5 ways women aquire knowledge that can vary through time and according to subject matter.  My short take on the categories:

Silence  A women of silence tends to believe that she can't learn.  She follows patterns established by her culture, without questioning the reason for those patterns.

 

Received knowledge This woman believes there is a set of Truths that she has only to learn.  She does not feel that any of those Truths might disagree with one another. 

 

Subjective knowledge This woman believes she will know what is right for her when she finds it, and feels that what is right for someone else might not be right for her.  She feels there can be more than one "right way" and tends to trust her instincts. 

 

Procedural knowledge She tends to gather information and make plans in an orderly, logical, step-wise way.

 

Constructed knowledge This woman sees conflicting information as a source of interest, not an obstacle.  She is able to blend her personal experiences with outside information, and expects this same personalized-and-yet-objective approach from her mentors. 



I love how our various forms of breastfeeding support - from peer counselors to websites, from MDs to LLLLs to IBCLCs - fit these various "learning styles."



Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY  USA
www.wiessinger.baka.com





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