A hologeistic study of family structure and sentiment, supernatural beliefs, and drunkenness

State University of New York at Buffalo • Buffalo • Published In • Pages: 389 •
By Schaefer, James Michael

Abstract

This study tests a broad hypothesis that alcohol is employed to relieve anxiety and feelings of powerlessness. Frequency of drunkenness and drunken brawling were associated with several variables, including supernatural beliefs, political systems, settlement patterns, and division of labor.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
OtherOther Researchers
Ethnographic Reports
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)

Hypotheses (12)

HypothesisSupported
"Simple political systems . . . link with extreme, aggressive drunkenness, while more complex political systems . . . link with mild, non-aggressive drunkenness"Supported
"Fraternal interest group theory predicts that patrilocal groups tend to have more in-group aggressiveness (such as brawling) . . . than matrilocal groups" (174)Not Supported
"It was thought that highly orgainzed kinship systems would be linked with mild, non-aggressive drunkenness, while loosely structured kinship groupings would be linked with extreme, aggressive drunkenness" (171)Not Supported
"I expected to find permanent, unilocal postmarital residence to link with mild, non-aggressive drunkenness and flexible, changeable non-unilocal post-marital residence to link with extreme, aggressive drunkenness" (173)Not Supported
"Simple division of labor would link with extreme, aggressive drunkenness, while a complex divison of labor would link with mild, non-aggressive drunkenness" (171)Supported
". . . drunkenness . . . correlated [negatively] with [fixed] settlement patterns" (169)Supported
"Hunting and gathering societies tend to get into drunken brawls more frequently than other societies" (166)Supported
". . . families that were predominated by father-son dyad ties, that were characterized by attitudes of continuity and dominance or reespect would be linked with mild non-aggressive drunkenness" (163)Supported
". . . when anxiety is relieved through the intervention of rewarding, supportive and benevolent supernatural spirits, there should be an accompanying reduction in levels of anxiousness and in levels of drunkenness" (40)Partially supported
"I expected presence of social class distinctions . . . to be linked with mild non-aggressive drunkenness while absence of social class distinctions were expected to be linked with extreme, aggressive drunkenness" (179)Not Supported
"People who drink excessively and behave aggressively while drunk have belief systems that tend to be characterized by malicious and unpredictable spirits over which they have little control" (157)Supported
"The correlations between social complexity and drunkenness are . . . in the predicted [negative] direction" (179)Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: mas  Amelia Piazza