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Patterns of family interaction and adolescent sex role concepts

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 21, pages 609–623 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between patterns of family interaction and adolescent development of sex role concepts. Sixty-six families of high school seniors completed a measure of daily family activities and a Plan Something Together Task, used to measure individuation in family communication. Adolescents' responses on the sex roles section of the Ego Identity Interview were coded to reflect Block's theory of the stages of development of sex role concepts. Results indicated gender differences in the development of sex role concepts as related to distinctive patterns of family communication and daily activity with the adolescents' mothers and fathers.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Maine, USA

    Gail B. Werrbach

  2. Professor and Department Head, Family Social Science, The University of Minnesota, USA

    Harold D. Grotevant

  3. Professor, The Board of Studies on Psychology, the University of California at Santa Cruz, USA

    Catherine R. Cooper

Authors
  1. Gail B. Werrbach
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  2. Harold D. Grotevant
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  3. Catherine R. Cooper
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Additional information

This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD-29819 and HD-17983), the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and the University Research Institute and Institute of Human Development and Family Studies of the University of Texas at Austin.

Received degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Research interests in adolescent development, adolescent mental health, and adolescents in high-risk families. To whom reprint requests should be addressed at School of Social Work, Annex C, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-0124.

Received degree from the University of Minnesota. Research interests are in adolescent development within the context of the family and adoptive family relationships.

Received degree from the University of Minnesota. Research interests are in the role of ethnicity in adolescent identity development and family relationships.

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Werrbach, G.B., Grotevant, H.D. & Cooper, C.R. Patterns of family interaction and adolescent sex role concepts. J Youth Adolescence 21, 609–623 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537398

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537398

Keywords

  • High School
  • Gender Difference
  • Health Psychology
  • Daily Activity
  • Distinctive Pattern