Raymond Montemayor

The Relationship between Parent-Adolescent Conflict and the Amount of Time Adolescents Spend Alone and with Parents and Peers.

MONTEMAYOR, RAYMOND. The Relationship between Parent-Adolescent Conflict and the Amount of Time Adolescents Spend Alone and with Parents and Peers. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 1512-1519. The purpose of this study was to investigate the widely held hypotheses that among adolescents an inverse relationship exists between parent and peer involvement, and that conflict with parents is associated with a peer orientation. Reports of time use and parental conflict for 3 days were obtained from 64 adolescents through telephone interviews. 3 findings were made. (1) Adolescents spent equal amounts of time with parents and peers but engaged in very different types of activities-work and task activities with parents, play and recreation with peers. (2) Time spent with parents was negatively correlated with peer time for females and time spent alone for males. (3) Adolescents who had disagreeable relations with their mothers spent much of their time with their fathers, not with peers. The results were discussed in terms of the different functions that mothers, fathers, and peers fulfill for adolescents.

Family Variation in Parent-Adolescent Storm and Stress

In this review it is argued that traditional attempts to classify the parent-adolescent relationship as either harmonious or discordant are misdirected. Relations between parents and adolescents vary in conflict. Although most parents and adolescents report that they rarely argue, in a minority of families conflict and discord are common. A review of the literature reveals that parent-adolescent conflict varies as a function of family social context, family structure, characteristics of parents and adolescents, and, most importantly, style of parent-adolescent interaction. From a behaviorial perspective the important components of interaction style are communication/problem-solving skills, the techniques parents use to manage their adolescents, and the exchange of positive and negative behaviors.

A Naturalistic View of Conflict between Adolescents and their Parents and Siblings

Reports of conflict between adolescents and their parents and siblings were obtained from tenth-graders through interviews conducted over the telephone. The highest levels of conflict were found for the mother adolescent and same-sex sibling relationship, while few conflicts were reported with fathers. Most arguments with parents and siblings were about interpersonal issues and a minority concerned rule enforcement. Withdrawal was the most common conflict resolution technique found with parents and siblings. The results of this study show that disagreements with parents and siblings are equally frequent, largely about the same issues, and resolved in similar ways. These findings cast doubt on the notion that quarrels with parents are really about independence, and support the view that they are simply instances of general interpersonal conflict, which occur whenever the actions of one person interfere with the actions of another.

Fathers, Mothers, and Adolescents: Gender-Based Differences in Parental Roles During Adolescence.

This study examined the involvement and satisfaction of adolescents with their fathers and mothers. Possible age and sex differences were investigated for three components of involvement: proportion of time spent with fathers and mothers, type of activities engaged in, and degree of satisfaction with those activities. Telephone interviews were used to obtain information about previous days activities from 61 adolescents in grades 6–12. For each activity, data were obtained on duration, who else was present, and satisfaction. Results indicated that adolescents spent a greater proportion of time in leisure than in work with fathers, and equal time in work and in leisure with mothers. In general, adolescents were as satisfied with activities with their fathers as with their mothers. Adolescents enjoyed working with fathers more than mothers, however. The results demonstrate that activity satisfaction varies as a function of what activities adolescents engage in and who is present.

Children's Performance in a Game and Their Attraction to It as a Function of Sex-typed Labels.

MONTEMAYOR, RAYMOND. Childrens Performance in a Game and Their Attraction to It as a Function of Sex-typed Labels. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1974, 45, 152-156. Children 6-8 years old played a game which was labeled either sex-appropriate, sex-neutral, or sex-inappropriate. Measures of performance and attractiveness of the game were obtained. For both boys *and girls, performance was highest when the game was labeled sex-appropriate, intermediate when no sex label was given for the game, and lowest when the game was labeled sex-inappropriate. For attractiveness, the appropriate and neutral label conditions were similar and both were higher than the inappropriate condition.

Adolescent Affection and Helpfulness Toward Parents: A 2-Year Follow-Up

This short-term longitudinal investigation examined the 2-year stability of adolescents’ prosocial behavior toward mothers and fathers and the predictive role of attachment, conflict, and parental influence in adolescents’ prosocial behavior. At Time 1, adolescents (n = 129) in Grades 6, 8, and 10 and their mothers (n = 126) and fathers (n = 104) completed several questionnaires during two in-home visits. Two years subsequently, families (n = 42) completed the same measures from Time 1. In general, adolescents reported less affectionate behavior and helpfulness toward fathers and mothers during early adolescence and middle adolescence. Parents reported no change in adolescents’ behavior. Adolescents’ affection and helpfulness remained stable across 2 years. For adolescent reports, attachment predicted affection, whereas paternal influence predicted helpfulness toward fathers. For parent reports, conflict and parental influence predicted adolescent affection. The use of the relational approach for understanding adolescent prosocial behavior is discussed.

Effects of Pubertal Status and Conversation Topic on Parent and Adolescent Affective Expression

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between adolescent pubertal status and the expression of positive and negative affect by parents and adolescents. Parents and adolescents were observed during pleasant and unpleasant conversations. Data were obtained from 85 mother-father-adolescent families who participated in this laboratory study. Four findings emerged. First, the expression of negative affect by both mothers and fathers significantly increased as adolescents physically matured Second, parent and adolescent positive affect did not significantly change as a function of pubertal status. Third, few parent-adolescent dyad differences were found for parent expression of negative affect, although increases in adolescent negative affect occurred mainly with mothers, especially for daughters. Fourth, parents and adolescents were more positive toward each other in pleasant conversations and more negative in unpleasant conversations. Results were discussed in terms of recent theorizing and research on parent-adolescent relations. The relevance of models of the structure of affect to the study of affective expression also is discussed.

Delinquent Violent Youth: Theory and Interventions

This interdisciplinary volume provides a wide-ranging overview of the causes of criminal behaviour in children and adolescents. Following a literary and historical introduction, the contributors to this volume explore the theory and social policy that have shaped societys responses to young people in trouble. They then examine a number of key current issues, including: how families, peers, schools and the community influence delinquent behaviour; the role of substance abuse; the influence of television on violent behaviour; the nature and treatment of violent behaviour in adolescents; youth gangs; and effective community-based approaches for treating juvenile offenders.

Age segregation of adolescents in and out of school.

In a naturalistic study of age segregation during adolescence, 403 adolescents making up 153 separate groups were observed in three high schools and seven out-of-school settings. Age segregation was extensive, especially in school, among older adolescents in same-sex groups of friends. More mixed-age association was observed out of school among younger adolescents who were in mixed-sex groups containing relatives. Adolescents were most often observed with friends who were other adolescents, next with adults, and least frequently observed with children. Parents, particularly fathers, were rarely present. It was suggested that age segregation during adolescence is the result of a lack of contact with relatives.

Maternal Employment and Adolescents' Relations with Parents, Siblings, and Peers.

The association between maternal employment status and the relations that adolescents have with their parents, siblings, and peers was investigated. Three daily reports of conflicts with family members and time spent with parents, peers, and alone were obtained from 64 tenth-grade adolescents using a telephone interviewing technique. Males, but not females, had more arguments, which were of longer duration and greater intensity, with their mothers and siblings when their mothers worked than when they did not. Female conflict behavior was unrelated to the work status of the mother. Adolescents of both sexes spent less time with their parents when their mothers worked, especially when they worked full-time, than when they were nonemployed. Adolescents with employed mothers generally spent less free time with their parents than those with nonemployed mothers. Time spent with parents in the performance of household tasks was not affected by maternal employment status. The need to take a family system perspective in order to understand fully the relationship between maternal employment and adolescent development was emphasized.