Adolescent ego development and family interaction: A structural-developmental perspective

Abstract

The relationship between family interaction and the psychological functioning of individual family members has been a productive area of research for several decades. However, most of this research has attempted to associate specific family behaviors with children's psychiatric hospitalization, delinquency,

Individuation in Family Relationships

“…Although individuation is just beginning to be investigated in systematic empirical terms, evidence from two other ongoing studies, White et al [1983] and Hauser and his colleagues [Hauser et al" 1980;Powers et al, 1983], may be adduced in support of the role of individuation in adolescent psychoso cial development. Although their conceptual izations of individuation differ slightly from our own [Cooper ct al., 1983;Grotevant and Cooper.…”

“…The use of challeng ing statements was also positively related to adolescent ego development. In contrast, low-scoring adolescents came from families in which sharing perspectives and challeng ing was combined with cognitively inhibiting behavior or affective conflict [Powers et al, 1983]. When psychodynamic themes of con straining and enabling were considered, par ents of high-scoring adolescents showed more affective enabling and accepting.…”

“…Two conceptual schemes linking family interac tion patterns and adolescent ego develop ment have been formulated, one based on structural-developmental theory [Powers et al, 1983], the other on psychoanalytic theory [Hauser el al., 1985], Samples of both normal adolescents and adolescents from a psychiat ric population are being observed in a 4-year longitudinal investigation of adolescents and their families.…”

Perceived Family Interactions and Psychosocial Development of Family Members

“…Lewis (1989) asserted that a competent family is one that provides the (male or female) adolescent with the optimal conditions for developing his/her identity. Powers, Hauser, Schwartz, Noam, and Jacobson (1983) and Allen, Hauser, Bell, and O'Connor (1994) also found that the amount of supportive interaction in the family proved to be a very good predictor of adolescent ego development. Our results, showing that psychosocial development of family members correlated with the family competence, can also be understood in this manner.…”

Mother-daughter communicative relationships during adolescence and early adulthood.

“…The understanding of family interactions was modified even further by demonstrating that both supportive (Bell & Bell, 1982;Cooper, Grotevant, & Condon, 1983;Grotevant & Cooper, 1986;Powers, Hauser, Schwartz, Noam, & Jacobson, 1983) and mildly conflictual family interactions (Apter, 1990;Hauser, 1978;Hill & Holmbeck, 1987;Papini et ah;Papini, Roggman, & Anderson, 1991) promote adolescent individuation. It is suggested that adaptation to the physical changes of puberty is achieved by redefining family relationships through affective and assertive exchanges (Grotevant & Cooper, 1985.…”