Negotiation of conflict, communication patterns, and ego development in the family of adolescent daughters

Abstract

Late-adolescent females (N = 39) and their parents were studied, relating the quality of con ict negotiation in the family to their ego development and their dyadic communication patterns. Family communication was evaluated by the Constraining and Enabling Coding System (CECS;Hauser et al., 1985) from discussions in a revealed difference task. Each statement given by a person directed at another was coded and scores were aggregated. Quality of negotiation for the family as a unit was assessed from the discussions in molar codings guided by Stierlin's (1974) model of individuated relationships and developed for this study. Ego development was measured by Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Test. Analyses showed that the adolescents', but not the parents', ego level predicted family negotiation scores. The results also suggested that the quality of family negotiations was enhanced by different patterns of dyadic communication between adolescent daughters and their parents. Negotiating skill was high when there was cognitive complementarity between parents and daughters such that the father was cognitively enabling toward the daughter (and she was not) and the daughter was cognitively enabling toward the mother (whereas this was not predictive of the mother), and there was affective symmetry between parents and daughters (both facilitative). Daughters contributed to negotiation skill in the family by being more attentive to the mother than to the father. Regression analyses indicated that affective factors were more predictive of the negotiation climate in the family than cognitive factors.

Examining Trends in Parent-Child Communication in Europe Over 12 Years

“…Research showed that a good quality of communication with parents facilitates the functioning of the family (Schrodt, 2005), and constitutes one predictor of adolescents' high self-esteem (Kernis, Brown, & Brody, 2000), ego development (von der Lippe & Møller, 2000), low delinquency (Bogard, Corwyn, 2002;Evans, Boxhill, & Pinkava, 2008;Tracy, Zimmerman, Galea, McCauley, & Stoep, 2008). Cross-cultural analyses of family values and relationships show differences in values promoted by families in different countries, for example in Austria, the most important values are tolerance, cooperation, responsibility, and independence, but in Finland-equality between family members, communication, maintenance of affective relationships, and cordiality between parents and children (Adams & Trost, 2005).…”

“…Research showed that a good quality of communication with parents facilitates the functioning of the family (Schrodt, 2005), and constitutes one predictor of adolescents’ high self-esteem (Kernis, Brown, & Brody, 2000), ego development (von der Lippe & Møller, 2000), low delinquency (Bogard, 2005; Clark & Shields, 1997), better conflict resolution skills (Koerner & Fitzpatrick, 1997), and coping with adverse situations (resilience; Baxter & Clark, 1996). For adolescents, finding it easy to talk with their mother or father about things that bother them acts as a protective factor for mental well-being (Levin & Currie, 2010).…”

Discurso argumentativo en episodios de conflictos entre padres e hijos adolescentes

“…En los conflictos, las madres expresan más afectos tanto positivos como negativos y más conductas de control respecto a los padres y a los hijos, especialmente en la adolescencia temprana (Noack y Kracke, 1998). Aunque las habilidades para negociar suelen resultar más altas cuando es la madre la que se alinea con los hijos que cuando es el padre (Von der Lippe y Moller, 2000).…”