Children's representations of parents account for multifinality in outcomes of parental control: Evidence from two studies.

ABSTRACT: Effects of variations in parents' control styles, especially the amount of power assertion they deploy, have long been a central question in socialization research. Although severe, harsh control is unanimously considered harmful, research on effects of far more common low-to-moderate power assertion is inconsistent. Drawing from attachment and social cognition traditions, we examined whether children's representations of parents (Internal Working Models, IWMs) moderated associations between parental power assertion and children's socialization (violating or embracing rules and values, responsiveness to parents). In two studies of community families (Family Study, FS, N = 102, and Children and Parents Study, CAPS, N = 200), employing observations and reports, we assessed pare

SUBMITTER: Herbert HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12332769 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature