(Positive) power to the child: The role of children's willing stance toward parents in developmental cascades from toddler age to early preadolescence

Abstract

In contrast to once dominant views of children as passive in the parent-led process of socialization, they are now seen as active agents who can considerably influence that process. But those newer perspectives typically focus on the child's antagonistic influence, due either to a difficult temperament or aversive, resistant, negative behaviors that elicit adversarial responses from the parent and lead to future coercive cascades in the relationship. Children's capacity to act as receptive, willing, even enthusiastic, active socialization agents is largely overlooked. Informed by attachment theory and other relational perspectives, we depict children as able to adopt an active willing stance and to exert robust positive influence in the mutually cooperative socialization enterprise. A longitudinal study of 100 community families (mothers, fathers, and children) demonstrates that willing stance (a) is a latent construct, observable in diverse parent-child contexts parallel at 38, 52, and 67 months, and longitudinally stable, (b) originates within an early secure parent-child relationship at 25 months, and (c) promotes a positive future cascade toward adaptive outcomes at age 10. The outcomes include the parent's observed and child-reported positive, responsive behavior, as well as child-reported internal obligation to obey the parent and parent-reported low level of child behavior problems. The construct of willing stance has implications for basic research in typical socialization and in developmental psychopathology, and for prevention and intervention.

Infant Attachment Moderates Paths From Early Negativity to Preadolescent Outcomes for Children and Parents

“…In our broader view of attachment as a foundation for future socialization, early security contributes to an enduring reciprocal and cooperative set within the dyad, and a reservoir of mutual “good will” (Kochanska & Kim, 2012; Kochanska, Kim, & Boldt, 2015). Consequently, in secure dyads, both parents and children are motivated to work constructively on the child’s negative or difficult behavior.…”

Attachment in middle childhood: predictors, correlates, and implications for adaptation

“…Kappas, weighted kappas, and alphas or intra-class correlations, ICCs (note that the best practices have evolved over the last 10 years) were used. Because many of the constructs have been published (e.g., Boldt et al, 2014; Kochanska, Boldt, Kim, Yoon, & Philibert, 2014; Kochanska & Kim, 2013; Kochanska, Kim, & Boldt, 2015), descriptions herein are abbreviated.…”

“…Attachment organization has been also seen as having implications for the child’s receptiveness to parental socialization. Security has been described as rendering the child receptive and willing to accept and embrace parental influence and values (Bretherton, Golby, & Cho, 1997; Kochanska, Kim, & Boldt, 2015; Thompson, 2015; van IJzendoorn, 1997), although this issue has been much less studied in attachment research. We examine the links between aspects of attachment in middle childhood and children’s self-reported receptiveness toward parental values, also at ages 10 and 12.…”

The Motivational Foundations of Prosocial Behavior From A Developmental Perspective–Evolutionary Roots and Key Psychological Mechanisms: Introduction to the Special Section

“…Second, socialization processes, beginning very early in life, can also influence children's inclination to accept and internalize societal norms and values. For example, responsive and attentive treatment by caregivers can create a positive stance in children, making them more open and receptive to accept caregivers’ messages about values and standards later on (e.g., Kochanska, Kim, & Boldt, ). Internalization of values is also influenced by how parents respond to children's misbehavior (breaking of norms), that is, their ability to set limits effectively and without excessive coercion (Grusec & Davidov, ).…”