Family interaction patterns and the development of social conceptions in the adolescent.

The relationship between family interaction and the formation of family and life conceptions in adolescence was studied in an interactional framework. It was hypothesized that openness and constructiveness in family communication and the expression of marital conflicts are positively related to number and content of family and life conceptions. A sex difference was also hypothesized for these conceptions. Fifty-three 15-year-old girls and boys participated in the study. They were interviewed individually and afterward presented with a questionnaire on their family ratings. In addition, most parents-40 mothers and 30 fathers-answered their own questionnaires. The ratings of family interaction by adolescents and parents, respectively, correlated positively, indicating the reliability of the adolescents' ratings. The hypotheses were supported by the results. The richness of family-centered communication and the open expression of marital conflicts together with a positive emotional atmosphere were crucial to the number and content of the adolescents' social conceptions, especially family conceptions.