Patterns of relationship regulation: German and French adolescents' perceptions with regard to their mothers

Abstract

Following a person-centered approach, the present study focuses on inter- and intracultural similarities and differences in patterns of relationship regulation by adolescents with regard to their mothers in a sample of 153 French and 154 German adolescents. Starting from theoretical assumptions of individuation in adolescence as the process of balancing autonomy and relatedness, a classification approach was applied providing four theoretically derived clusters of relationship regulation, namely “harmonious,” “tense,” “primary,” and “secondary” relationship regulation patterns. Countries did not differ in numbers of adolescents in the “harmonious” and “tense” clusters. More patterns of “primary” relationship regulation were found between German adolescents and their mothers, whereas French families had a higher prevalence of “secondary” regulation patterns. Clusters were validated by maternal parenting (from adolescents' perspectives) and adolescents' optimism. Results on patterns of regulation are discussed in a theoretical framework of intrafamily processes of relationship regulation and implications for family functioning are addressed.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• autonomy
• relatedness
• France
• Germany

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (TR 169/9-1-3) to the second author. The project is part of the study “Value of Children and Intergenerational Relations” (Principal Investigators: Gisela Trommsdorff, University of Konstanz, Germany, and Bernhard Nauck, Technical University of Chemnitz, Germany).

Data of the German sample were collected under the guidance of Gisela Trommsdorff and Bernhard Nauck. Data for the French sample were collected under the guidance of Colette Sabatier.

The manuscript is partly based on the dissertation thesis of the first author.

We thank Holly Bunje for her editorial help and we thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.