Abstract

Intergenerational inter-gender relationship is notoriously problematic, as well as consequential for succeeding generations. This study describes elicited shared narratives of relationship between men and their mothers from a relational ethical perspective. The interpretive framework developed here is derived from Buber's philosophical anthropology and the contextual family theory of Boszormenyi-Nagy and associates. Guidelines for a systematic analysis of conjoint mother-son interviews are offered, which identify parameters of ethical voice, the participants' addressed consideration of self and other in relationship, and ethical subtext, an assessment of justice dynamics in family relating over three generations. A range of ethical voice was found among ten mother-son pairs, from pairs where neither mother nor son had examined the relationship between them, to pairs where one had actively called the other to examine and address their relationship. Among the latter, there is also a range in the quality of the engagement between mother and son. Those whose ethical voices were most evolved in the study had, previous to participating in this study, consciously addressed the relationship with the other. These results suggest the importance of a framework for relationship which posits the value of dialogue. In the absence of such a framework, ethical voice was less developed. However, even in the face of significant relational injustice and injury between family members, ethical voice was possible. In the view presented here, examination and address of the history of relationship between adult offspring and parents are significant for adult moral development. Ethical voice in intergenerational relationships, a dynamic process, grounded in the multilateral consideration of self and other, is action toward a balance of fairness in the present, which helps to heal the injuries of the past, and offers a legacy, enriched by more trustworthy relating, to future generations. The structure of this study itself, conjoint narratives of relationship, values dialogic process