Abstract
This study examines the transfer of personal possessions, which is a dimension of inheritance decision making from which few families are exempt but which largely has been ignored by researchers and educators. The qualitative analysis of a purposeful sample of individual family members who had experienced a transfer of non-titled personal possessions suggested the influence of six key themes. These included: (a) a sensitivity of the issue, (b) lack of goal discussion, (c) different perceptions of “fairness,” (d) different meanings of objects, (e) lack of awareness of distribution options and consequences, and (f) potential for conflict. The themes identified reinforced that inheritance is not simply an economic or legal issue but one with complex emotional and family relationship dimensions. The findings provide the foundation for further research agendas and for developing educational resources to help family members communicate about and make more informed decisions regarding the transfer of non-titled property.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Becker, G. S. (1974). A theory of social interactions. Journal of Political Economy, 82(6), 1063-1093.
Blade, T. (1993, July). Objects as the anchor of memory. The Old Times, 13a-13b.
Cates, J. N., & Sussman, M. B. (Eds.). (1982a). Family systems and inheritance patterns. Marriage and Family Review, 5(3). New York: The Haworth Press.
Cates, J. N., & Sussman, M. B. (1982b). Family systems and inheritance. Marriage and Family Review, 5(3), 1-24. New York: The Haworth Press.
Cox, D. (1987). Motives for private income transfers. Journal of Political Economy, 95(3), 508-546.
Cox, D., & Rank, M. R. (1992). Inter-vivos transfers and intergenerational exchange. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 74(2), 305-314.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Rochberg-Halton, E. (1981). The meaning of things: Domestic symbols and the self. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Curran, B. (1989). Report on the 1989 Survey of the Public's Use of Legal Services. Washington, D.C: American Bar Association Consortium on Legal Services and the Public and Tulane Law School.
Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive justice: A social-psychological perspective. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Dunn, T. A., & Phillips, J. W. (1997). Do parents divide resources equally among children? Evidence from the AHEAD Survey. Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Aging Studies Program Paper (No. 5).
Frolik, L. A. (1996). Legacies of possessions: Passing property at death. Generations, 20(3), 9-12.
Hanks, R. S., & Sussman, M. B. (1991). Inheritance contracting: Implications for theory and policy. Proceedings, Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, National Council on Family Relations, Denver, CO.
Henretta, J. C., Hill, M. S., Li, W., Soldo, B. J., & Wolf, D. A. (1997). Selection of children to provide care: The effect of earlier parental transfers. The Journals of Gerontology, 52B(Special issues), 110-119.
Hogan, D. P., Eggebeen, D. J., & Clogg, C. C. (1993). The structure of intergenerational exchanges in American families. American Journal of Sociology, 98(6), 1428-1458.
Homans, G. C. (1974). Social behavior: Its elementary forms. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
Kane, R. (1996). From generation to generation: Thoughts on legacy. Generations, 20(3), 5-9.
Lillard, L. A., & Willis, R. J. (1997). Motives for intergenerational transfers: Evidence from Malaysia. Demography, 34(1), 115-134.
Lustbader, W. (1996). Conflict, emotion, and power surrounding legacy. Generations, 20(3), 54-57.
McGarry, K., & Schoeni, R. F. (1995). Transfer behavior in health and retirement study: Measurement and the redistribution of resources within the family. The Journal of Human Resources, 30(Supplement), S184-S226.
McGarry, K., & Schoeni, R. F. (1997). Transfer behavior within the family: Results from the Asset and Health Dynamics Study. The Journal of Gerontology, 52B(Special Issues), 82-92.
O'Connor, C. (1996). Empirical research on how the elderly handle their estates. Generations, 20(3), 13-20.
Rettig, K. D. (1993). Problem-solving and decision-making as central processes of family life: An ecological framework for family relations and family resource management. Marriage and Family Review, 18(3/4), 187-222.
Rosenfeld, J. P. (1979). The legacy of aging: Inheritance and disinheritance in social perspectives. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corp.
Salamon, S. (1995). Prairie patrimony: Family, farming and community in the Midwest. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Soldo, B. J., & Hill, M. S. (1995). Family structure and transfer measure in the health and retirement study: Background and overview. The Journal of Human Resources, 30(Supplement), S108-S137.
Soldo, B. J., Hurd, M. D., Rodgers, W. L., & Wallace, R. B. (1997). Asset and health dynamics among the oldest old: An overview of the AHEAD study. The Journal of Gerontology, 52B(Special Issues), 1-20.
Stum, M. (1977). Assessment of Inheritance in Popular Press. Unpublished report, University of Minnesota-St. Paul.
Sussman, M. B., Cates, J. N., & Smith, D. T. (1970). The family and inheritance. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Titus, S. L., Rosenblatt, P. C., & Anderson, R. M. (1979). Family conflict over inheritance of property. The Family Coordinator, 28(3), 337-346.
Tobin, S. (1996). Cherished possessions: The meaning of things. Generations, 20(3), 46-48.
Yang, H., & Chhandler, D. (1992). Intergenerational relations: Grievances of the elderly in rural China. The Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 23(3), 431-453.
Young, M. M. (1991). Disposition of possessions during role transitions. Advances in Consumer Research, 18, 33-39.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stum, M.S. Families and Inheritance Decisions: Examining Non-Titled Property Transfers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 21, 177–202 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009478019537
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009478019537