Adolescents’ Identification with Parents In View of Socialpolitical Changes

Abstract

The present paper deals with relationships between adolescents and their parents in view of the political changes which have taken place in Poland over recent years. Assuming that adolescents’ identification with parents is one of the basic factors in the process of psychosocial development − forming value systems, attitudes towards the surrounding world, life style, etc., the author asked the question: Are the adolescents from the graduating form of 1988 different from adolescents who graduated in 1991 with respect to parental identification. A study conducted by the author is presented which aims at testing two alternative hypotheses concerning the increasing or decreasing importance of parents as personality models for adolescents at the time of political changes. The study was carried out in 1988 (N = 244) and in 1991 (N = 237) with boys from the graduating class of the same vocational schools. The Parental Identification Questionnaire was used to measure five aspects of parental identification. The findings confirmed the hypotheses stated: the adolescents who were examined after the changes had occurred laid a greater stress on the difference between themselves and their parents as far as life style was concerned. At the same time they needed more psychological support from their parents. The results are discussed in view of E. Erikson’s and C. Cooper et al.’s conceptions.