Poster #156 - The Socialization of Self and Relationships Among Mothers of Adolescents

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

The need to form a self, while simultaneously connected to others has been recognized as a core developmental task (Bowlby, 1969; Cassidy & Shaver, 2016). We know little, however, about the ways in which self and relationships are socialized by parents during adolescence. Moreover, research has not yet addressed how such socialization may vary by ethnicity and gender of parent and child. These processes may vary due to variation regarding the values placed on these constructs (Azmitia, Ittel, & Brenk, 2006; Chao 2000; Gilligan, 1982; Way, 2011). Adolescence is a particularly salient developmental period for examining such questions as not only is it a time when children strive to reach a balance between autonomy (self) and relatedness (relationships) (Ryan & Lynch, 1989), but also when gender stereotyping intensifies and can lead to an imbalance in which the self is privileged over relationships (Hill & Lynch, 1983; Way, 2011). The current analysis examines how ethnically diverse mothers socialize self and relationships with their sons and daughters during adolescence and how these patterns vary by ethnicity and gender of child.

Drawing from a longitudinal study of 250 mothers and adolescents in New York City, the analysis focused on a purposively sampled group of 50 mothers with children in the 8th grade who were interviewed about their views about parenting and raising a boy or a girl. The study consisted of 13 African-American, 11 Chinese-American, 14 Latino, and 12 European-American mothers. Our inductively constructed coding system was developed to determine how self and relationships were socialized by mothers and the extent to which self-assertion and relationships of both mother and child were valued (on a scale of 0–2), and the variation of these patterns by ethnicity and gender of child. Content analysis and open coding were used to identify themes and patterns (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Table 1 has mean scores.

We performed an ANOVA to investigate whether mothers’ self-assertion differed by ethnicity. The ANOVA was significant, F(4, 45)=13.74, p < 0.001. Bonferroni’s test was used to conduct post hoc comparisons. African-American mothers (M=1.88, SD=0.19) asserted themselves more than Chinese-American mothers (M=0.99, SD=0.27); African-American mothers (M=1.88, SD=0.19) asserted themselves more than European-American mothers (M=1.25, SD=0.41); and Latino mothers (M=1.58, SD=0.36) asserted themselves more than Chinese-American mothers (M=0.99, SD=0.27). No other group differences were statistically significant.

The qualitative data revealed: (1) mothers asserted themselves through rules and consequences (mother’s self-assertion) and/or (2) mothers supported the self-assertion of their sons and daughters by encouraging them to speak their thoughts (encouraging the self-assertion of the child). Mothers socialized relationships by framing relationships as important to her child (encouraging friendships of the child). Mothers of color consistently asserted themselves via communicating clear rules and consequences compared to their European-American counterparts who were less likely to do so. Also, mothers of color were more likely to emphasize relationship building and intimacy in friendships than European-and- Chinese-American mothers; whereas Chinese-American mothers put more emphasis on utilitarian use of friendships (e.g., friends as study partners). Table 2 provides quotes.

Authors

• Esther Sin, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Niobe Way, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Bennet, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Angelica R Puzio, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Courtney Jones, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author