Marriage Education for Good Old Boys

1
Marriage Education for Good Old Boys

• Amanda Schroeder, B.S.
• Jennifer Baker, PsyD LMFT

2
Labels for Folks in Rural Areas

• Good Old Boys
• Rednecks
• White Trash
• Hillbillies

• How are these labels different or similar from
  one another?

3
Stereotypical Thinking

• What images come to mind when you think about
  good old boys or rednecks?
• These elements constitute a culture.
• They can exert a powerful influence over our
  thinking about behavior.

4
Common Stereotypes Include

• Racists
• Uneducated
• Drunks
• Inbred
• Conservative

• Dirty
• Slow
• Offensive
• Stupid
• Backwards

5
Confirmation Bias

• If we believe something to be true we look for
  information to support our bias.
• Can influence the thousands of subtle, nonverbal
  signals we send each other every day
  (micromessages).
• Micromessages are communicated by head nods, eye
  contact, head turns, and gestures.

6
Confirmation Bias

• What biases exist regarding good old boy /
  redneck culture and healthy marriage?
• How do these beliefs influence the micromessages
  we may unknowingly communicate?

7
Recognizing Biases

• Stereotypes are also influenced by media
• You might be a redneck if (Jeff Foxworthy)
• TV shows My Name is Earl
• We are bombarded with stereotypes that have
  become a part of popular culture.

8

• Believing
• Is
• Seeing

9
Where the Heart Is
10
Social Class and Culture

• Social class is often overlooked in terms of
  diversity.
• Whiteness in our society is associated with
  power, but the low income white population finds
  themselves as a societal anomaly, i.e., white
  without power.
• A strong identity is formed to class, i.e., the
  working man. (McCarter, 2006)

11
Differing Outlooks (Payne, 1996)
Working Class Middle class Upper class
Money To be used, spent To be managed To be invested, conserved
Food Quantity Did you have enough? Quality Did you like it? Presentation Did it look nice?
Time Present Decisions based on feelings or survival Future Oriented Decisions made against future results Focus on Past Decisions based on history and tradition
Language Causal, about survival Formal, about negotiation Formal, about networking
Driving Force Survival, relationships, entertainment Work, achievement Financial, political, social connections
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Exploring the Culture

• Awareness of cultural elements is key to
  understanding good old boy or redneck culture.

13
Good Old Boy Culture

• Survival Things in modern society that must be
  done to get food and shelter.
• Relationships Ownership of people, my old man,
  my old lady,
• Entertainment TV, country music, bars, etc.
• (McCarter, 2006)

14
Elements of Culture

• Symbols
• Representations of ideas so their meanings can
• be shared

• Objects
• Cars
• Guns
• Gestures
• Entertainment
• Religion
• Language

15
Common Good Old Boy Beliefs

• Symbolic statements about reality
• A strong work ethic reflects the quality of the
  person. There is pride in ones individual work.
• Do things intuitively, live in here and now.
• Education Something done to get a job.
• Traditional thoughts of religion and family.

16
Working Class Ideas on Marriage

• Man is the head of the house and provider women
  take care of the children.
• Male/Female gender stereotypes common.
• Divorce can be seen as a failure may fight
  often, but stay together.
• Men can sometimes lead double life life at home
  with family and life at bars when out with
  friends.
• Communication problems are expected.

17
Jeff Foxworthy Totally Committed
18
Common Working Class Values

• Protect and defend family.
• Stand up for yourself.
• Status found within, not outside social groups.
• Loyalty and honesty.
• Sense of Community found at local establishments
  (rather than at work).

19
Implications for Promoting Marriage Education in
the Working Class

• Implementation of marriage education could be
  beneficial in fostering healthy communication
  between husband and wife.
• Men enjoy being providers economically. Help to
  make them to be providers emotionally as well.
• Primary function of the home is comfort In
  relation to marriage, help demonstrate that a
  comfortable home is one with a happy marriage.

20
Implications for Marriage Education in the
Working Class

• Use examples that include symbols, icons and
  values familiar to working class participants.
• Include real-life examples and/or analogies to
  which class can easily relate.
• Utilize humor popular with working class
  audience. Humor lowers defenses and opens us to
  new ideas and experiences.

21
Using Popular Culture

• Set the mood
• Before the class starts
• During activities
• Using as a conversation starter
• Agreement with lyrics not necessary
• Have copies of the lyrics to go with songs
• Illustrate an important concept
• Touch head and heart