Parent–child value similarity in families with young children: The predictive power of prosocial educational goals

Abstract

Value transmission from one generation to the next is a key issue in every society, but it is not clear which parents are the most successful in transmitting their values to their children. We propose parents’ prosocial educational goals as key predictors of parent–child value similarity. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the more parents wanted their children to endorse values of self‐transcendence (helping, supporting, and caring for others) and the less parents wanted their children to endorse the opposing values of self‐enhancement (striving for power and achievement), the higher would be parent–child overall value similarity. Findings from two studies of families – Study 1: 261 Swiss families, children aged 7–9 years; Study 2: 157 German families, children aged 6–11 years – confirmed this hypothesis. The effect was even stronger after controlling for values that prevail in the Swiss and German society, respectively. We integrate evidence from this study of values in families with young children with existing findings from studies with adolescent and adult children, and we discuss potential pathways from parents’ educational goals to parent–child value similarity.

Personal Values, Attitudes and Travel Intentions Towards Cycling and Walking, and Actual Behavior

“…Value transmission from one generation to the next occurs to a greater extent at family level. In this context, encouraging self-transcendence values (helping, supporting and caring for others), which are positively associated to cycling and walking, is effective if parents also share the same personal values [73]. Therefore, it is important that Travel Behavior Change Programs (TBCP) include actions and activities to encourage self-transcendence values in which all family members are involved.…”

Gendered Intergenerational Transmission of Work Values? A Country Comparison

“…We also take into account whether the respondents have caring responsibilities (including children of minor age) and how they characterize their relationship with their parents ( relation mother; relation father ), ranging from “very bad” (=0) to “very good” (=4). Parents transmit values also through the opportunities they provide to their children (see Kraaykamp, Tolsma, and Wolbers 2013; Döring et al 2017). Therefore, we control for the economic condition of the respondents during their childhood ( economy childhood ).…”

“…Our first research question concerns the transmission of work values within family contexts by means of socialization. Parents convey their attitudes, beliefs, and values to their children directly through active education as well as indirectly through everyday routines and through the opportunities they provide to their children (Kraaykamp, Tolsma, and Wolbers 2013; Döring et al 2017). In line with the literature on the intergenerational transmission of (work) values (e.g., Schönpflug 2001; Trommsdorff 2008; Kraaykamp and Van Eijck 2010), we expect youth’s work values to be associated with the work values of their parents.…”

Value Profiles During Middle Childhood: Developmental Processes and Social Behavior

“…However, recent advances in values research suggest children as young as 5 years of age hold values similar in meaning and inter‐relations to the values of adults (Cieciuch, Davidov, & Algesheimer, 2016; Lee, Ye, Sneddon, Collins, & Daniel, 2017). These values appear to develop on the basis of internal, heritable mechanisms (Uzefovsky, Döring, & Knafo‐Noam, 2016), as well as socialization (Döring, Makarova, Herzog, & Bardi, 2017). Yet, little is known about how values develop in childhood (Döring et al, 2016) and even less is known about patterns of change and stability during this period (for an exception, see Cieciuch et al, 2016).…”