The article "Ketchup and Kin; Stories that Bind us", summarizes the relationship found between knowledge of ancestors and children's self-confidence. The research found that children who knew they belonged to something bigger than themselves (understood their family history) lost their sense of identity less often and tended to have more self-confidence in pivotal life stages than did children unaware of their ancestry. The precedent set by their ancestors helped descendants have real life examples of how to react in a crisis or how to be resilient in the face of adversity. This is why family history work is such a significant endeavor and should be greatly emphasized.
