Author: Rosalind Reed Flora

Publisher:

Published: 1975

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

Purpose The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self concept upon parent-adolescent communication patterns. Parental self concepts and the self concepts of their adolescent along with the adolescent's perceived quality of communication with their parents were examined to determine if (1) the parents' self concepts have a significant effect upon the adolescent's perceived communication with his parents, (2) the adolescent's self concept has a significant effect upon his perceived communication with his parents, (3) gender has a significant effect upon perceived communication patterns, and (4) the self concepts of the parents have a significant effect upon the self concept of the adolescent. Procedure The population consisted of 18 year old male and female university freshmen from two-parent, middle socioeconomic class families. A random sample of these students were assumed to be present in the lower division personal health classes at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. A total of 152 adolescents and their respective parents comprised the sample for the study. Names, addresses, and demographic data were obtained from an information questionnaire. The adolescents were given The Tennessee Self Concept Scale and The Parent-Adolescent Communication Inventory to obtain measurements of self concept and perceived communication with parents respectively. Parents were mailed a Letter of Explanation and The Tennessee Self Concept Scale. Sample return comprised 89.4 percent. The Total Positive Scores from the TSCS were categorized into quartiles labeled high, medium-high, medium-low, and low self concept. The data were subjected to two and three-way analysis of variance factoral designs. The factors were fixed and the cell sizes were unequal. Findings 1. Combined parental self concept seems to have had no effect upon the adolescent's perceived communication with parents. 2. The adolescent's self concept appears to have had a significant effect upon his perceived communication with parents at the .01 level. Those adolescents who had low self concept perceived communication with their parents as significantly more nonconstructive than those adolescents who had higher self concepts. 3. There was no significant difference between adolescent males and females in their perceived communication with their parents. 4. The mother's self concept appeared to significantly influence her daughter's perceived communication with her parents at the .05 level. Medium-low self concept mothers had daughters who perceived communication with their parents as significantly more non-constructive than daughters of high and medium-high self concept mothers. 5. The father's self concept did not appear to affect his daughter's perceived communication with parents. 6. Neither the mother's nor the father's self concept seemed to have any effect upon the son's perceived communication with parents. 7. Even when controlled for sex, the self concepts of the parents had no measurable effect upon their adolescent's self concept. Discussion of the findings included suggestions for study replication with design variations including controls for mother's educational level and specific changes in procedure and instruments. Consideration was given to the possibility of sex role influences upon communication patterns. Implications for education, especially in the areas of human sexuality and family living as well as for family counselors in experimental and applied areas, were presented.