8.3 Encountering Power

I remember having criticized my parents for behaving in certain ways when I was younger. Whenever I asked for their permission to go out with my friends, they used to go over a long questionnaire before agreeing or disagreeing on letting me go out. In my view there was no need for so many questions, so many concerns. As funny as it can be, I tend to reproduce this same behavior with my young brothers with the pass of years. And of course my brothers complained a lot as well.

Based on the example I provided above, I am not quite sure about what exactly shaped my parents’ view on certain things, but I certainly know that many of my attitudes came from them. Consequently, I agree with the statement on page 245: “you might be able to identify key moments, turning points, or memorable messages that led to the development of certain attitudes, but you might not be able to pin down the source of other beliefs.”

Garota de Ipanema