Ojibwa and Jewish children : a comparative study of N-achievement

Abstract

This thesis deals with Ojibwa and Jewish children and the cultural, child rearing, and social mobility variables which are considered to be important in the psycho-social development of n-achievement. In general, results of previous studies indicate that Jews have traditionally trained their children for a relatively high level of n-achievement and continue to do so in the contemporary setting. Kerckhoff (1958) on the other hand, maintains that the Chippewa train their children for a relatively low level of n-achievement. In the light of these investigations, a key issue in the present study is whether there will be a statistically significant difference between the n-achievement levels of the two groups of children with the Jewish children obtaining the higher level. To resolve this issue a slightly modified version of Lowell's incomplete sentence test will be used to elicit fantasy responses from the two groups of children. These responses will be scored for n-achievement according to the McClelland scoring system. The significance of this study will be at least thereefold. On the one hand, it will be valuable as a replicative study. In the second place, this data will serve to fill a void as there ia a paucity of socio-psychological information dealing with the Ojibwa Indians and Jews of Manitoba. Finally, McClelland (1961) has proposed that a relatively high level of n-achievement is a psychological prerequisite for economic development -- this is assuming the ecology is such that economic development is possible. If this argument is valid this study could be of considerable value in applied anthropology. It would mean that this study could possibly serve as an outline for future psychologically-oriented community development studies being carried out among Indian bands in Manitoba.