Parental Identification by the Adolescent: A Social Power Approach

A social power theory qf parental identification is presented, in contrast to sex-role theories of identification, which argues that the more parental power each parent is perceived to have, the higher the degree oqfadolescent identification with that parent. Parental power is delineated into four major dimensions for each parent: outcomecontrol, referent, legitimate and expert power. A self-report methodology was em-