Relationship of Perceived Parenting Styles and Behavioural Systems among Generations

Adolescence is a period of change and reorganization in family relationships. The parent-adolescent relationship changes from the relation of authority into a more equal relation and this process relates to temporal deterioration in the family relationships (Gurba et al., 2019). Numerous changes occur in parent child relationships during adolescence. Adolescents are spending less time with their families and more time with their classmates and extracurricular activities. Many ideas suggest that as adolescents become more autonomous and individuated, there is a transitory decrease in closeness, a rise in conflicts, and a progressive shift toward more equal power (De Goede et al., 2008). Communication with adolescents and parents about potential enrollment for various activities needs to account for their differing perspectives and approaches (Tsevat et al., 2018). The study aims to determine parental-adolescent relationship effects on adolescent behavior. Questionnaires were conducted to find out how behavioral changes from the past affected the positive and negative interactions parents have with their adolescents. The questionnaire used was the Network of Relationship Inventory - Behavioral Systems Version (Furman & Buhrmester, 2009) and the Perceived Parenting Styles Scale (Manikandan, 2013). A total sample size of 120 participants in the study, were three generations of 40 families from the Indian subcontinent. The adolescents (born in 2008 – 2003) were asked to complete the questionnaire, followed by their parents (born in 1964 – 1984), and grandparents (born in 1944-1964) respectively. The results revealed that the changes in attitudes of parents have changed to authoritative since earlier generations. High scores in positive interaction scales have resulted in adolescents of today more likely to seek secure base and provide a secure base as compared to their counterpart parents and grandparents