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Communication patterns and alliances between parents and adolescents during a structured problem-solving task
1Department of Family & Consumer Sciences, 123 HE, University of Nebraska, , Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583-0801, U.S.A.
Journal of Adolescence
|August 1, 1996
Summary
Adolescent gender significantly impacts family communication. Families with boys showed more bargaining, and sons more frequently proposed alliances to mothers compared to daughters.
Area of Science:
- Family Dynamics
- Developmental Psychology
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Understanding gender influences on family communication is crucial for developmental psychology.
- Adolescence is a key period for shifts in family interaction patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of adolescent gender on communication patterns and alliance formation within families.
- To explore how gender influences reciprocal interactions during a problem-solving task.
Main Methods:
- Controlled problem-solving task involving 20 adolescent boys and 20 adolescent girls with their parents.
- Observation and analysis of communication patterns, bargaining, and alliance offers.
Main Results:
- Families with adolescent boys exhibited more active bargaining than families with girls.
- Sons proposed alliances to mothers at nearly double the rate of daughters.
- Adolescent gender appeared to influence mother-father communication dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent gender plays a notable role in shaping family communication strategies and alliance dynamics.
- Mothers' and adolescents' interactions are influenced by the adolescent's gender and the parent's gender.