Parental Method Of Control Linked To Child's Aggressive
Behavior
August 18, 2009
A study published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology
found that the method of control used by parents was significantly related to a
child's aggressive behavior.
Sofie Kuppens and her colleagues from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Belgium, studied the amount of physical aggression and relational aggression
(the purposeful manipulation or damage to relationships) used by 600 children
aged between 8 and 10 and compared this to parents' use of physical punishment
and psychological control.
Sofie Kuppens said: "As well as using discipline or rewards to control or
manage a child's behavior, some parents also use psychological control which may
include emotional manipulation, criticism or excessive personal control.
"As children learn and adopt behavior from their parents, we wanted to see
whether children whose parents use psychological control strategies are more
likely to use relational aggression - the purposeful manipulation or damage to
relationships, through silent treatment, social exclusion, or spreading of
malicious rumors for example."
Parents were asked to assess their own and their partner's level of physical
punishment and psychological controlling behavior - questions such as: 'If my
child hurts my feelings I don't speak to him/her until s/he pleases me again'.
Each child's physically and relationally aggressive behavior was then assessed
by parents, school teachers and class mates. It was found that the parent's use
of physical punishment was significantly linked to the children's level of
physical aggression both at home and at school. Parental psychological control
was also significantly linked to the children's use of relational aggression,
although this was only significant at home. Results also suggested that a
child's use of relational aggression is dependent on the social situation.
Sofie Kuppens said: "This study lends further support to research that has
found that a child's behavior often parallels their parents'. In this case, a
child's use of physical or psychological aggression was linked to the methods of
control that their parents used.
"However, it's important to remember that parents' and children's behavior
mutually influence each other and that a children's use of physical and
relational aggression will be the result of multiple influences; temperament,
peers and teachers, as well parenting influences."
Source
British Psychological Society
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Back to News