Political Expression of Adolescent Rebellion

The relationship between deviation from parental political viewpoints and parent-child relationships is explored in a sample of 1,440 students in sixteen colleges and universities across the United States. Males are more likely to deviate from the political positions of their than females. A significant association is not found between a history of defiance of parents and political rebellion, suggesting that adolescent rebellion in American is expressed primarily in non-political ways. Rebellion is associated, at least for female students, with discipline in the home that is perceived as either strict or permissive, whereas those who report average discipline are less likely to rebel politically. Perceived extremes of parental discipline (strict or permissive) are associated for both males and females with lack of closeness between parent and child, which, in turn, is associated with political rebellion. This is particularly true when the student perceives his parent as being interested in politics. Political rebellion, then, appears most likely to occur when parent and child are emotionally estranged, when the child believes parental discipline is nontypical, and when the parent is interested in politics.