Attachment and Family Influence on Adolescence 3
The Effect of Parental Attachment Style and Parental Expectations on Family Conflict in
Families with Adolescents
Adolescence - a time period in the life of an individual that is characterized by a tug-of-
war between parents and self. Adolescent behaviors are often confounding to parents, who
struggle hard to make the shift from being primary caregivers to mere observers during the
transition phase from childhood to adulthood. Adolescence has been referred to as a time of
"storm and stress" (Hall, 1904; Montemayor, 1983). According to Jones et al., (2000), although it
is now recognized that this may be somewhat overstated (Gecas & Serf, 1990), there is little
question that mothers and fathers find parenting during the adolescent period difficult (Epstein,
Bishop, & Baldwin, 1982; Montemayor, 1983; Pasely & Gecas, 1984). Additionally, research
has long provided convincing evidence that parenting behavior during this period is an important
determinant of offspring outcomes (e.g., Patterson & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1984).
In recent years, there has been growing interest in how dynamics within the family
influence the development and successful consolidation of the young adult identity (Allison &
Sabatelli, 1988; Lopez, 1992). The role of intra-familial conflict, marital discord, parental
acceptance - rejection, peer influence, parental alcoholism, and nature of attachment with parents
and peers have been studied to better understand this transitional period in the family. Some
studies (Davies & Windle, 2001; Hock, Eberly, Bartle-Haring, Ellwanger, & Widaman, 2001;
Molina & Chassin, 1996; Smetana, 1995) have looked at adolescence from the perspective of
parental attitudes, attachments, coping styles, and behaviors. In addition, other researchers have
investigated mutual influences and the reciprocal nature of the parent-child relationship during
adolescence (Chu & Powers, 1995; Jang & Smith, 1997; Ge, Conger, Cadoret, Neiderhiser,
Yates, Troughton, & Stewart, 1996; Parker, Tupling & Brown, 1979). An approach that is often
Convention