The Effect of Authoritative Parenting Style in Communicative Adaptability

among Adolescents.

Sruthi MathewI Msc. Clinical Psychology

Research Problem1. This study aims to examine the

influence of Authoritative Parenting Style in Communicative Adaptability among Adolescents.

Introduction

Communicative Adaptability• Communicative adaptability, the ability to adjust

in social settings, can also be defined as the capacity of the individual to adjust him/herself to the situation with minimum friction (Karlsson, 1963).

• According to Wheeless and Duran (1982), Communication Adaptability focuses on the variety of individual experiences and the ability to be flexible and feel comfortable with a variety of people ,being sensitive to others, and providing positive feelings toward others .

• Communicative adaptability involves the use of wit and emotional reactivity as well as emphasizes individual differences in the capacity to adapt to immediate surroundings (Beatty, Marshall, & Rudd ,2001).

• It measures 6 dimensions: – (1) Social Experience :which

assesses affect for and participation in varied social settings.– (2) Social Conformation :which

taps maintenance of the other's projected social image.– (3), Social Composure :which

measures the degree to which one feels relaxed in social situations.– (4) Appropriate Disclosure : which

assesses sensitivity to the intimacy level of social exchanges.– (5) Articulation :which measures

the appropriateness of one's syntax and semantics.

– (6) Wit : which taps the use of humor to diffuse social tension (Duran, 1992).

Parenting Styles

• According to Louw et al. (1998),the way in which parents bring up their children is considered a parenting style .

• Parenting style is defined as : “ a general pattern of care giving that provides a context for specific episodes of parental child rearing behaviors , but it does not refer to a specific act or a specific acts of parenting”. (Gupta & Theus ,2006).

• Baumrind’s (1971) seminal work on the classification of parenting styles has been essential in influencing research on parenting and its effect on children and adolescents.

• In her work she identified three types of parenting styles: –Authoritative,– Authoritarian, –Permissive.

• Authoritative parenting which is accepted as the most ideal form in relation to parental care and attitudes, has the rules which are open, clear, discussible. It is ready to be changed according to interests and needs. It can be reorganized because of it’s flexible structure (Mussen, et al,1990).

• Authoritative parenting is a more flexible style of parenting in which parents permit their children considerable freedom, but are careful to provide reasons for the restrictions they impose and will ensure that the children follow these laid down procedures (Baumrind, 1991; Weiss & Schwarz, 1996).

Authoritative style

• Authoritative parents are responsive to their children’s needs and ideas and will often seek their children’s views in family deliberations and decisions (Baumrind, 1991; Weiss & Schwarz, 1996).

Need for the study• There is no literature that relates Authoritative

Parenting Styles and Communicative Adaptability.• The interaction between parent and child is the

child’s primary introduction to the world of relationships (James, 1994; Purvis, Cross, & Sunshine, 2007; Ryan & Wilson, 1995; Ryan & Bratton, 2008; Siegel & Hartzell, 2004; Van Fleet & Sniscak, 2003).

• Communication is the means by which quality relationships are achieved.(Montgomery ,1988).

• Normalcy in communication still tends to be equated with an ideal family type(Stafford & Dainton,1994).

• Authoritative style has been seen as the most effective in enhancing personal and social responsibilities in adolescents, without constraining their newly formed autonomy and individuality(Glasgow, Dornbusch, Troyer, Steinberg, & Ritter,1997).• Parental influence has an effect not only on their children’s overt behavior but also the way they start internalizing standards and expectations. Having internalized these behaviors, children then often generalize them in other situations and relationships (Mash & Johnson as quoted by Gupta & Theus,2006).

• Temperamental traits changed more during emerging adulthood than during any other period of life. It is possible that being well informed regarding your offspring’s social life and experiences outside of the household may be particularly important during this transitional period from adolescent to adult responsibilities. Thus, one way ,change may be through the mechanism of parental monitoring(Roberts et al. 2006) .

Relationship between Authoritative Parenting Style and Communicative Adaptability

• It is assumed that with variations in degree of Authoritative Parenting Style, there would be difference in how the child Communicates with his/her socio-interpersonal relations.

• Authoritative parents are more likely to engage adolescence in verbal give and take and allow adolescents to understand social relationships and what is required for being socially competent (Steinberg & Silk,2002).

Research Problem

1. To examine the Effect of Authoritative Parenting Style on Communicative Adaptability among Adolescents.

Research Questions

1. Is there an Effect on Authoritative Parenting Style on Communicative Adaptability among Adolescents?

• To assess the Communicative Adaptability among Adolescence and Authoritative Parenting Style among the parents of these Adolescents.

• To find the effect of Authoritative Parenting Style in Communicative Adaptability among Adolescents.

Objectives

1. There is a positive effect on Authoritative Parenting Style in Communicative Adaptability among Adolescence.

Hypotheses

• Descriptive comparative design

Research Design

Sampling Design

• Convenient sampling method.• Sample size of 100.• Both males and females would be

taken.• Inclusive criteria:–Adolescence within age group

between 15-19 years .• Exclusion criteria :–Divorced or separated parents

would be excluded.

Materials• Communicative Adaptability Scale (CAS) by

Robert Duran.•Consists of 6 dimensions: (1) social experience, (2) social conformation (3) social composure (4) appropriate disclosure (5) articulation (6) wit.• 25 items (Social subscale) • 5-pt Likert scale • The average alpha reliabilities for the CAS dimensions are: Social Experience, .80; Social Confirmation, .84; Social Composure, .82; Appropriate Disclosure, .76; Articulation, .80; and Wit, .74.

• Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire(PSDQ) by Robinson, C., Mandleco, B., Olsen, S. F., & Hart, C. H. (1995)• A 32-item Likert-type questionnaire designed for two purposes:

–(1) To measure three global parenting style variables consistent with Baumrind's typologies : »Authoritative,»Authoritarian »Permissive.

(2) To measure the dimensions and internal structures within those typologies. The authoritative pattern consists of three stylistic dimensions: »(1) connection—warmth/acceptance, 6 items; »(2) regulation—reasoning/induction, 4 items; and» (3) autonomy granting—democratic participation, 4 items.

These three stylistic dimensions were summed to form a single measure of authoritative parenting.

• The PSDQ questionnaire is reliable and valid measure that is widely used by psychologists. The Cronbach’s alpha for primary factors was found to be 0.91 (authoritative), 0.86 (authoritarian) and 0.75 (permissive) (Robinson et al., 2001).

• Independent sample t-test will be used.

Statistical tool