Transcript Socialization in the Family

Functions of Families:
• Survival of offspring
• Economic Function
• Cultural Training
• Socialization: Process through which
children acquire values, knowledge, skills,
and behaviors appropriate for their culture
Methods of Socialization
Parents are:
• Direct Instructors: Teaching, advising
• Indirect Socializers: Modeling
• Providers/managers of opportunities:
Control exposure to experiences (e.g.,
toys, other children, activities)
– Particularly prominent when children are
younger
Age-Related Changes in Socialization
• As infants become mobile, parents
typically increase their attempts to control
infants’ behavior
• Between 12-18 months, children show an
increasing ability to comply with parental
requests/directions
– “Don’t touch!”
– “Come here”
• As children get older, parents gradually
increase their expectations for mature
behavior
• Parental behavior varies along at least two
dimensions
– Responsiveness/Acceptance
– Control (“Demandingness”)
Authoritarian
• High control
• Low acceptance/responsiveness
• Power-assertive discipline
• Ex: “Do it because I say so”
• More likely to use physical punishment
Authoritative
• High acceptance/responsiveness
• Moderate control
– Set clear standards and consistently enforce
rules
– Responsive to children’s needs and point of
view
• Discipline based on reasoning/explanation
– “It’s not ok to hit people because it hurts
them.”
Permissive
• High acceptance/responsiveness
• Low control
– Make few demands for mature behavior
Neglecting/Disengaged
• Low acceptance/responsiveness
• Low control
• Parents often overwhelmed by stress;
have little time/energy for children
Authoritarian
Childhood:
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•
Anxious
Unhappy
Dependent/Easily Frustrated (esp. girls)
Hostile/Aggressive (esp. boys)
Neglecting/Disengaged
• Childhood:
– Low self-control
– Low self-esteem
– Disturbed attachment relationships
(disorganized)
Authoritarian
Adolescence:
• Poorer social skills and lower academic
achievement than children of authoritative
parents
• Better school performance and less problem
behavior (e.g., drug use, truancy) than children
of permissive or neglecting parents
Authoritative
Childhood:
– High self-esteem
– High self-control
– Generally positive mood
Authoritative
Adolescence:
– Good social skills
– High academic achievement
– Low in problem behaviors (e.g., drug use,
truancy)
Permissive
Childhood:
• Low self-control
• Overly demanding and dependent on
adults
Permissive
Adolescence:
– Low academic achievement
– More problem behaviors (e.g., truancy; drug
use)
Neglecting/Disengaged
• Adolescence:
– Low academic achievement
– Poor social skills
– Many problem behaviors
• Truancy, drug use, delinquency, sexual
promiscuity, depression
Bidirectional Influences
• How do children’s characteristics and
behavior affect parenting style?
• Infants and children with difficult
temperaments are more likely to receive
less optimal parenting
• Less optimal parenting increases
children’s problem behaviors
• Negative cycle of interaction can be
established
Correlation vs. Causation
• Most research on parenting styles is
correlational
– Can’t randomly assign kids to different kinds
of parents
– Therefore, can’t infer cause-and-effect
relationships
• Can’t say that parenting style CAUSES children’s
behavior (positive or negative)
• However, some research has examined
experimental parenting interventions
– Interventions: Designed to improve parenting
behavior
• Use random assignment—some families receive
the intervention and others do not
• Can infer cause-and-effect relationships
• Experimental parenting interventions have
shown improvements in parenting
behavior and improvements in children’s
adjustment
• Parenting styles (and their “effects”) may
not generalize to all ethnic groups
– Chinese parents more likely to be classified
as authoritarian (high control)
– Authoritative parenting does not have more
positive effects than authoritarian parenting
for 1st generation Chinese-American children