The Psychology of Searching by Dr. Penny Walters is a
self-published book about looking at the psychology of why we do genealogy
research. Why are we interested in our family tree and our ancestor’s past. This
look at the reasons why we genealogists do genealogy intrigued me because I am
always asking “Why?” about my ancestors and part of that “why” is why do we do genealogy.
This book has only 163 pages with 22 pages dedicated
to a robust reference section. The chapter headings themselves will no doubt
interest any genealogist:
Chapter 1: Why do we ‘do’ genealogy?
Chapter 2: What is a relative?
Chapter 3: Reconstructing the past
Chapter 4: The psychology of naming
Chapter 5: How do you visually present your family?
Chapter 6: Death and dying
The author digs right in with Chapter 1: Why do we ‘do’
genealogy? She asks the question “What is your motivation to start compiling
your family history?” which made me stop and think what my answer to that
question would be. I think all genealogists can remember what it was that started
them on their journey of researching their family history. Whatever the reason,
Walters goes into the psychology of why genealogists do what they do. I
appreciated the fact that on Page 8 the author says “Genealogy is not like
other pastimes. In fact, it is not really a pastime at all. Genealogy is a
field of study that is integral to the human condition.” I would completely
agree with this quote.
Chapter 3 was probably my favorite chapter of this
book. Dr. Penny Walters dedicates this chapter to genealogists reconstructing
the past, their ancestor’s past. What I liked about this chapter is the fact
that Walters emphasized the need to know everything about our ancestors. More
than just dates of birth, marriage, and death. As the very beginning of the
chapter, Walters asks “What did my ancestors do all day?” This is exactly the
question I ask myself as I research my ancestors. I want to know everything
there is to know about each ancestor. I want to know what they had for
breakfast, what were their hobbies, what did they do daily. Walters quotes Bob
Brooke on page 63 as stating “Tracing a family’s emotional behaviour patterns
over the last few generations can shed light on present day problems.” This statement
is so true and one that I have researched myself and have seen the correlation.
I must say that Chapter 6 addresses the question that
I suspect all genealogists get “Why are you looking for dead people?” I have gotten
this question from several of my family members who don’t understand why I want
to know information about our ancestors who are dead and gone. Walters covers
different religions and their beliefs about death. She then talks about genealogy
records relating to death that the genealogists can seek online and at various
archives.
The reference section starting on page 141 is quite
extensive and I was pleased to see such a healthy reference section. As an
archivist, when I read a book I usually go directly to the reference, notes or
bibliography section just to see what the author used as reference for what
they have written. Dr. Penny Walters has a variety of references, everything
from academic psychology reference works to well known genealogists such as
Lisa Louise Cooke owner of Genealogy Gems. I found myself highlighting and
taking notes while reading through the reference section of this book so that I
could do further reading.
Dr. Penny Walters has done a wonderful job with this
most recent work and I recommend it to my genealogy friends. I can also
recommend her previously published book Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy.
