Family Structure and Religious Symbolization Among Guatemalans

Young subjects’ beliefs in God, the Virgin Mary and the Devil are analyzed in terms of their structural situation in their families. Family structure is seen as a set of principles (generation, sex and age), that assign rights and duties, and which, combined, determine positions, such as ‘first generation, male, older’. A given position is equivalent to, or different from one or more other positions when one principle alone, for instance, sex is considered. Symbolic preferences expressed in frequency and intensity of belief are examined as manifestations of claims and recognitions derived from these principles and the avenues they create for identification with other positions. In addition to ego’s structural position, the actual presence or absence of individuals in other structural positions in a given family seems to be an important factor: different forms and intensities of conflict (structural disjunction) can result from similar claims made from two different positions. Four situations are accordingly differentiated; ego’s conceptualization of the religious entities and his belief in them are analyzed within the frame of these situations. More generally, the study tries to differentiate between symbols which express the total structural position of a segment or unit, self identity, or a feeling of collectivity among members, and those which express only the structural unity of otherwise heterogeneous segments. This is a preliminary report based on a larger study; the data presented is based on individual interviews with 59 non-Indian male subjects 10 to 18 years old. Brief comparisons are drawn between these and results from a comparable Indian sample.