Someone posted privately to me wondering how the terrorists who attacked
the US, as well as others throughout history (e.g., Ghengis Khan), could
become so violent given that they were likely to have been breastfed for a
long time. Others have posted similar questions to LACTNET. My response is:

Mothering and childrearing are much more than breastfeeding. In some
cultures nurslings are breastfed in what we would consider an attachment
parenting manner until the age of two or so--at which point in time they
may be abruptly weaned. I have read of cultures in which children are taken
to live in another village with relatives away from their mothers at
weaning. (Off the top of my head, I don't recall in which cultures and at
what point in history such practices occurred. Perhaps Kathy D. can
comment.)

Cultures are full of contradictions and inconsistencies--at least in the
eyes of other cultures. And people can be taught to be very loving and
protective toward their in-group (those with whom they feel they share a
common destiny) and hateful and hostile to their out-groups. People view
each other differently based on what group they belong to (friend/foe,
kin/stranger). Such categorization is a universal psychological process--it
is culturally adaptive to some degree in that it permits us (like other
cultural practices do) to quickly know how we should behave without having
to spend more time and energy than we typically have pondering the "right"
course of action. However, it also poses hazards like prejudice and
stereotype when we never stop to think that we might have miscategorized,
that what our culture taught us about others might be wrong, that we might
be far more alike than we are different...

These issues are highly relevant whenever we are working with breastfeeding
mothers whose cultural heritage differs from our own. *Each of us,* me
included, runs the risk of hasty miscategorizations (a.k.a. stereotyping,
prejudice) that can cause harm. It takes intentional effort to reduce that
risk.

Wishing for a world in which we all realize that we really do share a
common destiny,

Cynthia

Cynthia Good Mojab, MS Clinical Psychology
(Breastfeeding mother, advocate, independent [cross-cultural] researcher
and author; LLL Leader and Research Associate in the LLLI Publications
Department; and former psychotherapist currently busy nurturing her own
little one.)
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://members.home.net/ammawell

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html