Adolescent egocentrism: Exploration into possible contributions of parent-child relations

A family relations model for the study of adolescent egocentrism was tested in an exploratory study of the relationship between parental socialization styles and adolescents' imaginary audience behavior. A sample of adolescent boys (n=58) and girls (n=57) responded to Heilbrun's Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale and Schaefer's Parent-Behavior Inventory and completed Elkind and Bowen's Imaginary Audience Scale. As hypothesized, rejection-control was associated with increased imaginary audience behavior, while physical affect was negatively related to self-consciousness. Sex differences were noted, with rejection-control being most important in predicting self-consciousness for boys and physical affect being the best predictor of girls' egocentrism behavior. The data provide an alternative model to a cognitive developmental perspective of adolescent egocentrism development.