The Relation between Parental Values and Parenting Behavior: A Test of the Kohn Hypothesis

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. National Council on Family Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Marriage and Family.Parents differ in terms of what characteristics they value most for their children, and several studies by Kohn and others have demonstrated that these differences in values are related to social class. However, there is relatively little in the literature regarding the extent to which parental values are associated with parenting practices. In this study, data on 65 mother-infant dyads are used to test a hypothesis, proposed by Kohn, regarding the relation between values and parenting behavior. In addition, an extension of Kohn's conceptual model is proposed. Support was found for Kohn's hypothesis and for the extension of Kohn's model. In recent years there has been increasing interest in the determinants of parenting behavior (Belsky, 1984). Drawing on the work of Kohn (1977), this study examines the relation between parental values and maternal behavior. Although the antecedents of parental values have been extensively studied, little is known about their behavioral correlates.Over 25 years ago, Kohn (1963) proposed that parents from various social class levels differ in terms of what characteristics they value most for their children and that these differences in values contribute to differences in parenting behavior. The causal sequence proposed by Kohn has been Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1030. diagramed in the following way: social classconditions of lifeparental valuesparental behavior (Gecas, 1979).According to Kohn, the lower a parent's social class position, the more likely he or she is to value conformity to external authority. Parents who value conformity emphasize such things as obedience and good manners. The higher the parent's social position, the more likely he or she is to value characteristics indicative of self-direction, such as an interest in how and why things happen, self-control, and responsibility. Kohn (1977) and others (Wright and Wright, 1976), using large, representative national samples, have repeatedly demonstrated that social class is related to parental values for both mothers and fathers. Moreover, analysis of national survey data indicate that a substantial relation between social class and values remains when numerous other factors-including national background, religious background, urbanicity, region of the country, and race-are statistically controlled (Kohn, 1979;Wright and Wright, 1976). Results consistent with the U.S. findings have been reported in other countries as well (Kohn, 1979).Although the evidence linking social class to parenta...

A Review of the Relationship Among Parenting Practices, Parenting Styles, and Adolescent School Achievement

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“…Alternatively, a socialization, or linkage, explanation maintains that the link between low SES and corporal punishment can be explained in the context of a parent fostering values and skills, such as conformity and obedience to authority, required for success in the typical life circumstances the child will likely experience as an adult (Kelley et al, 1992;Kohn, 1977;Luster, Rhoades, & Haas, 1989;Straus, 1974). Thus, parents of low SES may rely on corporal punishment because they place a premium on children's immediate compliance, either because immediate compliance prepares children for the obedience required in low-status occupations (Kohn, 1977;Straus, 1974) or because the consequences for disobedience in their often more dangerous neighborhoods can be severe (Garbarino et al, 1997;McLeod et al, 1994;Staples & Johnson, 1993).…”

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“…Clearly, Baumrind's (1971) original typology of parenting styles has stood the test of time, with increasing evidence to support the important role of parenting style in children's present and future socialization. There is general agreement that there are multiple determinants of parenting styles (Belsky, 1990): marital satisfaction, parental beliefs about discipline, history of abuse as a child, grandparents' parenting practices, parents' mental health, level of support from the spouse, and the family's socioeconomic status (SES; Luster, Rhoades, & Haas, 1989;Simons, Beaman, Conger, & Chao, 1993).…”