Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 30 : Transitions in Family Relationships During Late Childhood and Adolescence

Changing family relationships and their effects on personality development of adolescence

Family is not only an important source of influence regarding future goals, educational and vocational plans, it also facilities the adolescents transition from childhood to adulthood. Parents support their growing child by offering advice and guidance as they attempt to find their place in life and by imparting their values and traditions. This is not to say that there are no disagreements between adolescents and their parents. On the contrary, in their attempt they establish their identity. Adolescents question their parents ideologies, however during adolescence period, parents have to adjust to the developmental changes the adolescent is going through. Besides enhanced physical power and capability, adolescents are able to reason like an adult and they have broader field of significant individuals in their life, most notably friends of the same and opposite sex that parents must come to terms with.

The extent that parents are able to adjust to their parenting tasks and the approaches that they employ in their interactions with adolescent have important effects on the adolescent’s development.

Diana Baumrind (1975) found that the parent disciplining styles have significant influence on adolescent’s personality and behavior.

1. Democratic parents, according to Baumrind, show evince their interest in their adolescent’s activities and are warm and supportive towards them. They give the adolescents consistent standards to abide by, but they are at the same time willing to grant her sufficient autonomy. They are flexible, often even willing to learn from adolescent. Adolescents whose parents are democratic are socially active and responsible, they have high self esteem and they evaluate their life possibilities, committing themselves to certain values and goals.

2. Authoritarian parents are controlling in their interactions with the adolescent. They expect the adolescent to abide by numerous rules and they are unwilling to adjust to the adolescent’s need for independence. The interactions between authoritarian parents and the adolescent are likely to be conflict ridden. Adolescents of authoritarian parents have problems in developing their own identity, often prematurely withdrawing from attempts to evaluate their life choices and make commitments.

3. Permissive parents are undemanding of their adolescent. They expect the adolescent to be sufficiently mature to major life decisions on his own and they provide her with inconsistent or no rules, standards and expectations. Permissive parents often attempt to interact with the adolescent as though they were friends and they resent the adolescent’s attempts to form attachments with peers. Adolescents of permissive parents feel rejected and confused from the lack of direction in the home and resentful of their parent’s attempts to be friendly. They often develop emotional and behavioural problems as a result of the inadequate guidance they receive and the inconsistencies and lenience in their parent’s stand toward them. Generally, girls of permissive parents evidence emotional problems, including alienation and an attitude of helplessness, where as boys of such parents evidence behavioral problems (Duke, 1978).

Authoritarian parents exhibit high levels of demandingness and low levels of responsiveness to their children. Rules are not discussed in advance, they are decided by parents. These parents attach strong value to the maintenance of their authority and suppress children’s efforts to challenge them. Their parenting style may increase conformity and obedience in the short term, but in the long run children are at risk of developing more external styles rather than internal controls. This type of parenting can also lead to rebellion and a complete breakdown of parent-child relationships.

1. Demandingness: Refers to the extent to which parents expect and demand mature, responsible behavior from children.

2. Responsiveness: Refers to the degree to which parents respond to children’s needs in an accepting, supportive manner.

3. Discipline: The term discipline comes from the word ‘disciple’, meaning ‘one who gives instruction’. It goes beyond the short term, immediate behavioural gains, it influences children’s future behaviour.