| Growing up with family wealth may help or hinder the psychological development of family members, yet not much is known about it. The wealthy are infrequent subjects of research and yet represent a high proportion of psychotherapy clients. Lack of research almost certainly feeds misunderstandings and stereotyping of an entire social class, and such attributions contain the potential for detrimental consequences.; All young adults must find methods of separating from their families of origin, discover how to make their way in the world, and become their own person. Along with the task of individuation is the need to develop healthy self esteem and self regard, to feel good about who they are in relation to the world they live in.; The purpose of the present study was to investigate the way in which coming from, and being heir to, family wealth affects an adult woman's ability to individuate. Also addressed was the impact of money on the experience of one's self and others.; The subjects were 7 Caucasian women ranging in age from 19 years old to 33 years old who identified as growing up in a wealthy family. Interviews were conducted with questions in the areas of money, family, siblings and friends, self, religion and spirituality, and beliefs on what the nonwealthy believe about the wealthy in American culture.; Interview data was analyzed from a phenomenological qualitative perspective, identifying themes for each participant and then across participants. Five major themes were discovered, although there were several subthemes as well. These themes were: the Role of Money; Who I am Told I Should be Versus Who I See Myself to Be; Experience of One's Parents; Gender Roles/Financial Independence; and Class Identity - Interpersonal and Larger Culture.; Areas discussed in light of the themes were sexism in family messages, financial dependency on parents, responsibility for one's actions, acting out behavior with money, and the impact of wealth on friendships and romantic relationships. Implications for clinical work were discussed with attention to countertransference issues such as envy, judgment and fascination with how the other half lives. |
