Contemporary Research of the Correlation between Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment

In this article, basic assumptions, results of empirical examinations, as well as the advantages and shortcomings of the classical parenting models have been presented, with the emphasis on their applicability in adolescence. Research findings in the framework of classical models consistently indicate positive correlations between different forms of parental support and numerous indicators of adolescent adjustment, while parental rejection, as well as psychologically controlling behaviors, are connected with many forms of maladjustment. Regarding behavioral control in adolescence, the existing discordance between conceptualization and operationalization of the construct in literature complicates making clear conclusions. The main criticism directed at classical parenting models refers to their unidirectional view on the socialization process, which means that the found correlations between parenting and adolescent adjustment have been dominantly interpreted as parental influence on the adolescent. Contemporary researches and parenting models in the period of adolescence emphasize the active role of the adolescent in the socialization process, and the focus has been shifted from the controlling strategies to importance of communication, voluntary self-disclosure and trust in the adolescent-parent relationship. A further challenge for the parenting researchers comprises the implementation of the mentioned concepts into the existing parenting models, taking into account bidirectionality of the socialization process.