Parents' actions: are they related to children's self-concepts, evaluations of parents, and to each other?
This study surveyed 188 middle school children in order to ascertain their perceptions of their parents' actions toward one another. In addition, they evaluated themselves and their parents. These data were subsequently correlated with each other. It was found that ratings of fathers generally varied with how loving they were toward their wives and how loving their mothers were toward their husbands. Ratings of mothers only varied with how loving they were toward their husbands, and not vice versa, but only for their daughters--not for their sons. Self-concepts also generally varied for both sex groups with how loving their fathers were toward their wives, but how loving mothers were toward their husbands was only directly related to how their daughters--not their sons--rated themselves. Finally, how fathers acted toward their wives was significantly correlated with how their wives acted toward them. Some implications of these findings are discussed.
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Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.
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D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012649:Self Concept; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires