Adolescent development HC 5
Family relationships during adolescents – Stefenos Mastrotheodoros
Family relationships
Family systems theory: framework
Subsystems (6 in a family with 4 members)
o Parental subsystem
o Childrens subsystem
o Parent-child system
Two principles:
o Each subsystem affects other subsystems
o Disequillibrium
o So: What happens to one subsystem affects another subsystem (parental
conflict affects parent-child relationships) and sometimes there exists a
disequillibrium, for instance if an adolescent doesn’t do well at school, it
affects the parent-child relationship.
Family relationships – parents
Adolescence, typically during parents’ entrance in midlife challenges
Most often, midlife is a good stage for parents:
o Personality becomes more stable.
o Marital satisfaction increases.
o More time for self, and couple.
o Better job conditions (stable salary).
But significant variations exist.
o If midlife crisis is experienced by the parents (reevaluating their previous life
and choices), then the parent-adolescent relationship will go through more
strain.
Family relationships – siblings
5 patterns of relationships between siblings:
o Caregiver relationship: one sibling serves a parental role.
o Amicus relationship: treat each other as friends.
o Critical relationship: high level of conflict and teasing.
Most common!
o Rival relationship: competition and measure of success against one another.
o Casual relationship: not emotionally intense; little to do with one another.
Conflict with siblings is the most common conflict than any other family relationship,
for adolescents.
Sibling conflict is lower in adolescence than in the previous stage.
o Because the adolecent spends more time outside the household.
On the mean level, adolescents rate closeness with siblings as lower to that with
friends, and parents.
However, the “favourite” sibling (in case there are more than one), is rated in
closeness as high as the best friend.
Siblings in divorcing families experience both higher conflict, and higher closeness.
Example of how interparental dyad affects the sibling subsystem.
Only children – not experienced dethronement.
Relationships with extended family member
Nuclear family: parents and children
Cultural differences, related to family structure
, Adolescent development HC 5
Grandparents
o Often adolescents report as much time spent with grandparents as with their
parents, but relationship with the grandparents may be reported to be better –
parents also have to exert authority and set rules.
Even in Western (majority) cultures, adolescents report (very) positive relationships
with their grandparents.
o Grandparents don’t have the responsibility to be strict on the children, they
can spoil them (Greek saying: your grandchild is your child x 2)
Parenting styles
Parenting: the behaviours, cognitions (e.g., beliefs), and emotions parents have in
relation to nurturing their children (e.g., Bornstein 2015).
o So it’s whatever parents do and think towards their children
Two broad dimensions:
o Demandingness (control, setting limits)
“You have to be back at 8 pm.”
o Responsiveness (closeness, support)
“What do you think about this decision?
Four parenting styles, based on these dimensions.
o Authoritative: high demandingness; high responsiveness; have rules and
apply them; clear consequences; explain the rationale behind rules; loving and
warm.
o Authoritarian: high demandingness; low responsiveness; require obedience,
punish disobedience; little emotional attachment; possibly hostile.
Doesn’t explain the reason behind the rules
o Permissive: low demandingness; high responsiveness; no clear rules and
expectations; “unconditional” love; believe discipline may harm the child.
“Unconditional”, because rules are setting limits about what love is
given.
o Disengaged: low demandingness; low responsiveness; minimal investment to
children.
Parenting styles and autonomy
o All but authoritarian promote independence and autonomy.
Parenting styles and adolescent adjustment.
o Most favourable adjustment children of authoritative parents.
o Children of authoritarian parents: dependent; passive; conforming.
o Permissive: immature; irresponsible; easy to be affected by peers.
o Disengaged: impulsive; more problem behaviors;
Reciprocal effects (e.g., Keijsers et al., 2010).
o Also known as child effects
o Not only do parent influence their children, but children influence their parents
as well (remember the interdependence from the family system theory)
Research example
Solisidation and control parental factors
Disclosure from information adolescent factors
Which predicts delinquency? Adolescents disclosure!
Parenting styles in differental cultures
Authoritative style: rare in non-western cultures
High demandingness is common, but different in quality. Parental authority is clear
and accepted; parents are obeyed; no reason for rules should be given.
Family relationships during adolescents – Stefenos Mastrotheodoros
Family relationships
Family systems theory: framework
Subsystems (6 in a family with 4 members)
o Parental subsystem
o Childrens subsystem
o Parent-child system
Two principles:
o Each subsystem affects other subsystems
o Disequillibrium
o So: What happens to one subsystem affects another subsystem (parental
conflict affects parent-child relationships) and sometimes there exists a
disequillibrium, for instance if an adolescent doesn’t do well at school, it
affects the parent-child relationship.
Family relationships – parents
Adolescence, typically during parents’ entrance in midlife challenges
Most often, midlife is a good stage for parents:
o Personality becomes more stable.
o Marital satisfaction increases.
o More time for self, and couple.
o Better job conditions (stable salary).
But significant variations exist.
o If midlife crisis is experienced by the parents (reevaluating their previous life
and choices), then the parent-adolescent relationship will go through more
strain.
Family relationships – siblings
5 patterns of relationships between siblings:
o Caregiver relationship: one sibling serves a parental role.
o Amicus relationship: treat each other as friends.
o Critical relationship: high level of conflict and teasing.
Most common!
o Rival relationship: competition and measure of success against one another.
o Casual relationship: not emotionally intense; little to do with one another.
Conflict with siblings is the most common conflict than any other family relationship,
for adolescents.
Sibling conflict is lower in adolescence than in the previous stage.
o Because the adolecent spends more time outside the household.
On the mean level, adolescents rate closeness with siblings as lower to that with
friends, and parents.
However, the “favourite” sibling (in case there are more than one), is rated in
closeness as high as the best friend.
Siblings in divorcing families experience both higher conflict, and higher closeness.
Example of how interparental dyad affects the sibling subsystem.
Only children – not experienced dethronement.
Relationships with extended family member
Nuclear family: parents and children
Cultural differences, related to family structure
, Adolescent development HC 5
Grandparents
o Often adolescents report as much time spent with grandparents as with their
parents, but relationship with the grandparents may be reported to be better –
parents also have to exert authority and set rules.
Even in Western (majority) cultures, adolescents report (very) positive relationships
with their grandparents.
o Grandparents don’t have the responsibility to be strict on the children, they
can spoil them (Greek saying: your grandchild is your child x 2)
Parenting styles
Parenting: the behaviours, cognitions (e.g., beliefs), and emotions parents have in
relation to nurturing their children (e.g., Bornstein 2015).
o So it’s whatever parents do and think towards their children
Two broad dimensions:
o Demandingness (control, setting limits)
“You have to be back at 8 pm.”
o Responsiveness (closeness, support)
“What do you think about this decision?
Four parenting styles, based on these dimensions.
o Authoritative: high demandingness; high responsiveness; have rules and
apply them; clear consequences; explain the rationale behind rules; loving and
warm.
o Authoritarian: high demandingness; low responsiveness; require obedience,
punish disobedience; little emotional attachment; possibly hostile.
Doesn’t explain the reason behind the rules
o Permissive: low demandingness; high responsiveness; no clear rules and
expectations; “unconditional” love; believe discipline may harm the child.
“Unconditional”, because rules are setting limits about what love is
given.
o Disengaged: low demandingness; low responsiveness; minimal investment to
children.
Parenting styles and autonomy
o All but authoritarian promote independence and autonomy.
Parenting styles and adolescent adjustment.
o Most favourable adjustment children of authoritative parents.
o Children of authoritarian parents: dependent; passive; conforming.
o Permissive: immature; irresponsible; easy to be affected by peers.
o Disengaged: impulsive; more problem behaviors;
Reciprocal effects (e.g., Keijsers et al., 2010).
o Also known as child effects
o Not only do parent influence their children, but children influence their parents
as well (remember the interdependence from the family system theory)
Research example
Solisidation and control parental factors
Disclosure from information adolescent factors
Which predicts delinquency? Adolescents disclosure!
Parenting styles in differental cultures
Authoritative style: rare in non-western cultures
High demandingness is common, but different in quality. Parental authority is clear
and accepted; parents are obeyed; no reason for rules should be given.
