The bidirectional effects of parenting and a virtuous intellectual character: A longitudinal study of Argentinean adolescents

This study examines the bidirectional relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ parenting styles and the development of a virtuous intellectual character. A longitudinal panel study was conducted, which involved annual evaluations of a sample of 383 adolescents from secondary schools in urban areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina. At Time 1, 57% of the participants were girls, 43% were boys, and one identified as nonbinary. At Time 2, 58% of the participants were girls, and 42% were boys. The average age of the participants was 12.63 years (SD = 0.69) at Time 1 and 13.42 years (SD = 0.59) at Time 2. This study used the Argentine Parenting Styles Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Parental Challenge Questionnaire, and the Virtuous Intellectual Character Scale. Cross‐lagged panel analyses revealed a bidirectional relationship between an accepting parenting style and a virtuous intellectual character, as well as a unidirectional effect of parental challenge, which was identified as a predictor of a virtuous intellectual character. Parents who adopt a positive parenting style are likely to promote a virtuous intellectual character among adolescents, thus making the latter more curious, autonomous in terms of their thinking, attentive in their learning, detail‐oriented in their studies, and open‐minded with respect to others’ perspectives. Moreover, dysfunctional parenting styles, such as pathological control and extreme autonomy, decrease open‐mindedness among adolescents. These results reflect the important role that parents play in the development of intellectual virtues among adolescents.