You are here: UK Essays » Essays » Psychology » Parenthood Children Adolescents

Cookie Information

Privacy Information

Free Essays - Psychology Essays

Parenthood Children Adolescents

Abstract

Parenthood plays a vital role in determining an individual’s societal and communal development which in turn is dependant upon children’s interactions amongst their peers. Our aim of this research is to study parent’s involvement in adolescents’ peer relationships, and a subsequent effect of this relationship on their development, since they are the major force which shapes the personality. In addition to this we will also examine the reasons why children in adolescence indulge in deviant behavior with respect to parenting. In order to test the hypotheses we will examine subjects residing in Rawalpindi/Islamabad through both qualitative and quantitative analyses.

Problem statement

Today’s younger generation is in a dire need for a guide or a mentor to assist their social and cognitive development, this social development is partly dependant upon children’s personal social interactions with the pool of individuals around them. Experience tells us that it is imperative for them to have someone enabling them to realize the importance of good personality development in adolescence, which is one of the most turbulent phases of a person’s life. Therefore we aim to study the relationship amongst the best mentors, who are found to be at home i.e. parents and their involvement in adolescents’ peer relationships. As we will study the relationship amongst parents and children on peer interactions we will also identify various reasons that account for their susceptibility to antisocial behavior during this phase of their life.

Research objectives

The purpose of this research paper is to gain a theoretical insight into the role of parental involvement in the peer relationships of their adolescents. It also enables us to determine the various reasons for adolescents’ susceptibility to peer pressure. Our first goal is to compare the level of involvement of the mothers and fathers in order to determine which parental sex is more

likely to spend time with their adolescents. Secondly we will try to determine how parental involvement impacts adolescents’ peer experiences. Thirdly this research paper will help us to understand the reasons why adolescents growing up in households with single parents were more likely to engage themselves in harmful activities and rowdy behavior than are adolescents growing up in households with both parents and thereby more susceptible to peer pressure.

The research paper is an explanatory study since it shall include not only theoretical aspects but we have also developed the following hypotheses;

• Mothers are more involved in their adolescents’ peer experiences than fathers

• Adolescents growing up in single parent homes are more likely to engage in activities which deviate from normal or acceptable standards

We will be using both qualitative and quantitative techniques for the analysis of our data which will thereby enable us to prove or disprove the aforementioned hypothesis.

Literature review

For centuries it has been debated amongst sociologists and psychologists over relative influence of parents and peers on adolescents. Some believe that during this susceptible phase peers exert a stronger influence on children but on the flipside it is said that parents still coerce their children towards a predetermined socialization pattern (Bruce J. 1980). Despite of all the research and contradicting theories it is commonly observed and believed that parents play an important role in determining their children’s social personality development by ensuring the right amount of peers’ involvement.

Such interactions usually take place under their own discretion and often they are the ones who provide their children with such indispensable opportunities to socialize with people. This way they enable them to develop their social cognitive and relationship formation skills (Ladd, Profilet, & Hart, 1992). The nature of parental involvement differs across different stages of development, e.g. in early developmental stages the parents intervene more often and strictly ensure that they take charge of the supervision of their children’s social interactions. However once the child enters the adolescent stages, they tend to become more

indulgent and non-judgmental about their interactions and activities (Rubin & Sloman, 1984). This change can partly be attributed to the change in attitude which is brought about in these youngsters, as they explore more relationships apart from just parental relationships for companionships and emotional support (Savin-Williams & Brendt, 1990).

In the light of what we have stated above we will try to discuss how various forms of parental and peer behaviors are conceived as likely to influence the adolescent. Many investigators such as (Anderson et al, 1969) believe that adolescents respond directly to pressures from people around them which basically comprise of the parents and the friends or social networks they create for themselves. While others (Wohlford, 1970) argue that the young adolescents will sometimes internalize the pressures imposed from the outside which will in turn affect the way they behave and go about their normal routines. Peers have a large part to play in shaping the personality of a young person as is the presence of normal parental behavior detrimental to ensure mental and social health.

Some pressures have been ignored by many researchers which pertain to the issues of physical coercion and environmental manipulation. According to the role conflict theory, adolescents are required to conform to pressures from outside that is parents and peers and their behavior is observed in order to make sure that they oblige the pressures and if not, the sanctions are imposed to confirm conformity (Gross et al, 1958).

There is also another theory about socialization which states that adolescents are likely to conform to parental and peer pressures and likely to take all the pressures and transform them into inner thoughts and abilities. This means that the adolescent has internalized the pressure and hence what was once a parents or peer’s pressure has now become an expectation that the adolescent has set a criteria for his own conduct (Freud, 1933 or Parsons, 1951).

Researchers have also established that the parental or peer pressure may also have different forms which are internalized and perceived differently. The pressures are incorporated as norms or preferences. Preferences are assumed to be directly motivating while norms motivate as long as he consequences of a matter are considered to be serious and likely. Both of these are not always in unison and while taking decisions adolescents must decided which one to choose from.

These are basically shaped by the way an adolescent has been brought up and his interaction within his immediate family that is parents and his social circle (Rodman, 1966, Scwartz and Tessler, 1972)

Importance and benefits of the study

This empirical research will provide the foundation for us and other future researchers especially in the field of psychology and sociology to understand and perhaps help adolescents and adults who had a difficult childhood as well as gain an understanding of the importance that parents can have in molding the child’s character. It will give the readers an in depth analysis into the adolescents psychology, his life, his insecurities and the daily torments and epiphanies that he goes through on a regular basis in context of his family unit and social circle.

This research will however be culture specific, especially considering that it is limited to children in Rawalpindi which means that they more or less have a common subculture as well. Hence, this research project will provide readers and future researchers an insight into how the subculture affects parenting strategies and how these traditions evolve as a new generation progresses. The research paper will also contain valuable information for parents, career counselors, future employers, teachers, etc. it will help these people formulate strategies on how to judge an adolescent’s or young adult’s interpersonal skills, where he or she fits in, in the social spectrum and what makes them tick.

Research Design

For the research design, we will be proving or disproving the hypotheses which are aforementioned. We will also try to identify the factors which account for a deviance towards antisocial behavior in an adolescent.

The basic methodology is stated as follows;

• An introduction to the subject matter

• Specification of all variables (control, dependant, independent etc)

• A research hypotheses will enable us to develop our proposition to explain our stance

• This will be followed by an explanation of a proper research methodology, so that the reader can understand the study

• The finding will be recorded as soon as the method has been effectively explained

• Implications of these findings will be discussed; the result of the study will have two implications, practical and theoretical

• Last but not the least, further areas of research, which could be elaborated will be discussed.

We will be collecting data for our research purposes from different schools, colleges and universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, whose students fall in the upper middle and middle income bracket of the society. The age bracket that will be the focal point of this research will be from sixteen years to twenty years, the parents of these students will also be part of the sample.

As far as the sample size is concerned we will be focusing on a sample size of about 200 representatives from the specified age. Following this we would identify the independent, dependent and control variables. Apart from collecting primary data from these surveys and interviews, we will also get secondary information from published research papers and internet sources and this will form a part of our qualitative analysis.

For developing the questionnaires, we will be constructing different scales which will reflect different levels of measures of that specific attribute. The attributes will then be interpreted using Analysis of Variance (ANOVAs) and a series of hierarchical regression analysis will also be used.

Data Analysis

The data analysis will be carried out keeping in mind that we are having a mix of two methodologies of achieving the purpose of research. The techniques involved are both qualitative and quantitative. This is essentially because of the fact that our sample size will consist of 200 subjects and the surveys and interviews conducted of these 200 cases. The analysis will be based on the result of the surveys and interviews and it will also contain the self-reported data by the various families. “Besides qualitative measures, a series of hierarchical regressions and a series of 2*2 mixed-model analyses of variance (ANOVA) will be conducted to compare mothers’ versus fathers’ in adolescents’ peer relationships”, (Upedgraff. A, et al, 2001).

As far as the assumptions are concerned, we are assuming that the psychological factors that affect behavior are not being considered. Also, only students from a specific income class are being studied and not from any other segment.

The limitations of this research paper are such that the data reported by the families is self-reported and hence, it may be self-serving or safeguarding the interests of the family. The data analysis will be carried out and presented in form of tables and charts as well as graphs so as to facilitate the understanding of the results.

Nature and form of results

The data presented in this research paper shall be valuable for a number of different stakeholders. We will be using statistical data and techniques like hierarchical linear regression analysis along with ANOVA to prove or disprove our hypotheses and hence reach a conclusion backed by empirical evidence. In order to aid the readers we will be presenting data in the form of tables, graphs and charts. Examples of such tools using dummy variables are depicted as follows.

Budget

Several costs will be incurred during the course of this project; some of them are mentioned along with their estimates as follows.

Schedule

We aim to complete our study within eight weeks time; however, the entire research will be conducted through a reverse strategy. This means that we will initially set future goals and then formulate the implementation strategy. As far as the provisional timeline is concerned it is stated as follows.

The first two weeks will be allocated for conducting surveys and interviews for the collection of primary data and the secondary data. In the third and fourth week we will be analyzing the primary data, which will then be sorted and put through a quantitative analysis with the help of SPSS and excel software. In the fifth and sixth week we will be focusing more on writing the report and in the seventh week we will review the written report, state our conclusion and remove errors, if there are any. The last week is allocated for presentations and if we get the required approval we will send the research paper for publishing. This schedule is also shown in the Gantt chart as follows;

Facilities and Resources

The facilities that we will be using include Jstor, the resources available online and guidance from the professor. We will require a meeting place where there is access to laptops and PC’s. A printer will also be needed along with SPSS software and possibly the use of excel. In addition, transportation will also be required in order to carry out the research while visiting the families of subjects. Telephone facilities will aid us in communicating with our subjects as well our own colleagues.

Bibliography

Andersson, Bengt E. 1969. Studies in Adolescent Behavior. Stockholm: Almquist & Wiksell

Campbell. B (1980), ‘A Theoretical Approach to Peer Influence in Adolescent Socialization’, American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 24: 324-344

Freud, Sigmund. 1933. New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. New York: Norton

Gaviria. A et al (2001) ‘School-Based Peer Effects and Juvenile Behavior’, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 83: 257-268

Gross, Neal C., Ward S. Mason, and Alexander W. McEachern. 1958. Explorations in Role Analysis: Studies of the School Superintendency Role. New York: Wiley.

Judith G. S (Apr., 1995), ‘Parenting Styles and Conceptions of Parental Authority during Adolescence’, Journal of Child Development Vol. 66, No. 2

Ladd, G. W., Profilet, S. M., & Hart, C. H. (1992). Parents' management of children's peer relations: Facilitating and supervising children's activities in the peer culture. In R. D. Parke & G. W. Ladd (Eds.), Familypeer re1ationship.s: Modes of linkage(pp. 215-254). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Parsons, Talcott. 1951. The Social System. Glencoe: Free Press.

Rodman, H. 1966. "Illegitimacy in the Caribbean Social Structure." American Sociological Reviezu 31:673-83.

Rubin, Z., & Sloman, J. (1984). How parents influence their children's friendships. In M. Lewis (Ed.), Beyond the dyad (pp. 223-250). New York: Plenum Press.

Savin-Williams, R.C., & Berndt, T. J. (1990). Friendship and peer relations. InS. S. Feldman & G. R, Elliot (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent (pp. 277-307). Cambridge, MA: Harward University Press.

Schwartz, S. H., and R. C. Tessler. 1972. "A Test of a Model for Reducing Measured Attitude-Behavior Discrepancies." Journal of Persorlality and Social Psyckology 24:225-36.

Updegraff. K (2001) ‘Parent’s Involvement in Adolescent’s Peer Relationships: A Comparison of Mother’s and Father’s Roles’, Journal of Marriage and Family 63: 655-668

Updegraff. K. et al (2002) ‘Young Adolescents' Experiences with Parents and Friends: Exploring the Connections’, Journal of Family Relations Vol. 51: 72-80.

Wohlford, I? 1970. "Initiation of Cigarette Smoking: Is It Related to Parental SmokingBehavior?" Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 34:148-51.

Sign up and be the first to receive our latest offers: