Parental Influence and Adolescent Conformity

An important aspect of the socialization process is the contribution that parents make to the development of social cooperation by youth (Baumrind, 1978; Hogan et al., 1978; Smith, forthcoming; Thomas et al., 1974). Effective interpersonal interaction within families and other group relationships require that youth develop a moderate degree of interdependence or conformity to the expectations of important social agents (e.g.,parents; Gurkheim, 1961; Hogan, 1975; Hogan et al., 1978; Inkeles, 1968; Bye, 1982). Recently concern has been expressed that various contexts of human development (e.g., families, schools) and the social sciences are failing to encourage cooperative responsiveness to the expectations of prominent social agents (Bronfenbrenner, 1970; Hogan, 1975; Hogan et al., 1978; Inkeles and Smith,1974). Given the importance of these issues for the social development of youth, this study was designed to examine how dimensions of parental power and parental behavior predicted adolescent compliance and internalization - two forms of adolescent conformity to parental influence. The size and direction of some of these relationships, interned, were expected to differentiate between adolescent compliance and internalization.