Abstract
A series of exploratory studies examined children’s perceptions of good parenting, focusing specifically on adolescents, through an open-ended question “What is a good parent?” First, developmental differences were investigated by comparing youngsters aged 8–9, 14–15, and 17–18 years. Second, the perceptions of adolescents (aged 14–15 years) were compared to those of their parents at two socioeconomic levels (SES). Third, adolescents (aged 14–15 years) were examined under city and kibbutz conditions. The findings revealed different patterns in the three age groups, highlighting the distinct expectations from parents appearing at each developmental stage. Discrepancies were also found between parents and their adolescent children in several content areas. These findings were obtained regardless of gender, SES group, or ecological condition. Parent-adolescent discrepancies evidenced in this study may clarify the appropriate targets for family intervention programs aimed at fostering more effective channels of communication between adolescents and their parents.
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Magen, Z. Good parents: Comparative studies of adolescents’ perceptions. Current Psychology 13, 172–184 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686800
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686800