A cross-cultural study of drunkenness

Harvard College • Cambridge • Published In • Pages: 101 •
By Davis, William N.

Hypothesis

"As predicted, bilateral groups were strongly associated with a high frequency of drunkenness. Non-bilateral groups, of course, tended to be low drinkers" (35)

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Chi squareSupportedp<.01UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
BilateralityIndependentRule Of Descent
DrunkennessDependentAlcoholism And Drug Addiction

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Davis, William N.An analysis of interrelated social structure variables revealed that bilateral kinship is relatively the most important predictor of drunkenness (37, 38)
Davis, William N."Achievement is stressed in the same kin groups [bilateral and cognatic] that tend to gratify strongly needs for dependency, passivity, and indulgence" (49)
Davis, William N."Bilateral and cognatic kin . . . are highly indulgent to young children, reject an adult's dependency needs, and furthermore greatly emphasize adult achievement. These conditions seem ideal for the development of a 'child-adult' conflict, and the latter should be reflected, as indeed it is, in a high frequency of drunkenness" (50-51)
Davis, William N."In short, these results indicate that relatively speaking, bilateral and cognatic kin groups rely more heavily upon an economy that presumably forces the father to leave his home for long periods of time . . . thus encouraging them [children] to adopt feminine modes of behavior" (39)
Davis, William N."Matrilineal kin groups were inconsistent. But, cognatic groups tended toward high drunkenness while patrilineal groups were definitely associated with low drunkenness" (35)