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The Counterintuitive Psychological Benefits of Intergenerational Discrepancies in Family Prioritization for J amaican Adolescent–Parent Dyads
Author(s) -
Ferguson Gail M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00795.x
Subject(s) - psychology , counterintuitive , collectivism , emotional distress , developmental psychology , fidelity , psychological distress , multilevel model , prioritization , value (mathematics) , life satisfaction , social psychology , individualism , anxiety , philosophy , electrical engineering , epistemology , management science , machine learning , psychiatry , political science , computer science , law , economics , engineering
The current study tests a prediction of R elational D iscrepancy T heory ( RDT ; i.e., emotional distress will not accompany discrepancies in hierarchical relationships) for family obligations discrepancies among adolescent–parent dyads in J amaica, a moderately collectivistic and hierarchical society. Ninety‐five dyads reported psychological adjustment and discrepancies in family prioritization (i.e., value priority placed on family vs. other life domains). Results supported RDT and replicated recent work with C aribbean immigrants in E urope. Unlike findings in individualistic and egalitarian societies, discrepancies were not an emotional liability for J amaican adolescents but were associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher life satisfaction. Furthermore, J amaican parents benefitted psychologically when adolescents prioritized family highly but may have been unaware of the emotional risks to their teenagers of matching parental expectations.