Family origins of adolescent self-criticism and its continuity into adulthood

Article Abstract:

Self-criticism is characteristic of individuals who feel unable to live up to standards and ideals and who consequently feel they are personally to blame for this. It has been hypothesized that the development of self-criticism may be related to seeking approval from cold, harsh, demanding, judgmental parents, and the fear losing such approval. To test this hypothesis and the stability of self-criticism as a personality trait, 156 subjects were examined at ages five and 12, and at age 31, 78 of the subjects were located and evaluated again. Mothers were interviewed when children were five as well. It was found that the development of a self-critical personality style was related to early parenting. Parenting styles that communicated restrictiveness and rejection were associated with self-criticism in the child, especially if the rejecting and restrictive parent was the same-sex parent. At age 12, it seemed that same-sex parenting was the most important influence on the development of self-criticism, and it was found that self-criticism was stable from age 12 to age 31 for women only. For men, self-criticism at age 12 was related to inhibition of aggressive impulses at age 31. These results support the theory that the development of self-criticism is tied to early parenting, and further define the relationship. It was also found that for women, the trait is relatively stable over time. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Father and child, Father-child relations, Criticism, Personal, Personal criticism, Personality development

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Social competence and behavior evaluation in children ages 3 to 6 years: the short form (SCBE-30)

Article Abstract:

Social competence (SC), anger-aggression (AA) and anxiety-withdrawal (AW) have been identified in US and Quebec preschool children on the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale. Each item scale has a high interrater and test-retest reliability, internal consistency and temporal stability over a period of six months. Boys score higher on AA and lower on SC than girls. However this sex difference is absent in AW, and SC increases steadily with age in all the samples. AA and AW behaviors are high in Quebec preschoolers as compared to US preschoolers.

Analysis, Measurement, Psychometrics, Social skills, Behavioral assessment of children, Childhood behavioral assessment

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"Balance of power": a transactional analysis of control in mother-child dyads involving socially competent, aggressive, and anxious children

Article Abstract:

Examination of several mother-child pairs for the influences on each other reveals the variations in the nature of the relationship with the behavior of the child and the approach of the mother. Mothers of aggressive children do not resist the coerciveness exhibited by their children, while there is a positive relationship between competent mother-child dyads. Anxious children react to their mothers' forcefulness by being coercive and resistant. The nature of the interaction between the children and their mothers influences other relationships also.

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