Closed Systems of Behavior and Traditional Family Ideology

Abstract

The objective was to obtain data relevant to the hyporhesis that systems of behavior at either the personality or the social structural level of analysis can influence the development of traditional or anti-democratic ideology in family relationships. At the level of personaliry, a high magnitude of rejection of opposing beliefs predisposes the closedminded individual to form an authoritarian outlook on life as expressed in a rigid dichotomization of family roles (Rokeach, 1960; Holz, 1968). Similarly, at the social structural level, traditional family ideology can be viewed as the prodct of a social milieu which limits the perspective of any given individual so thar he has few opporrunities to develop role-playing abilities and consequently must rely upon narrow reference groups to define normative family behavior (Stewart & Hoult, 1959). Since a high magnitude of resistance to change is present at either level of analysis, the narrow social milieu can be regarded as closed to opposing normative influences in the same manner that the closedminded personality is closed to opposing beliefs. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to 174 students at Boston University containing a 20-item form of Rokeach's Dogmatism (D) Scale to measure closedmindedness; a 12-item form of Levinson and Huffman's Traditional Family Ideology (TFI) Scale to tap anti-democratic family tendencies; and an indicator of social milieu for which S was instructed to list the ethnic characteristics of his close friends.'' Responses to statements contained in the Scales of TFI and D were scored from 0 to 5 in Likerr fashion. Ss indicating little diversity in ethnic characteristics among friends (e.g., religion, race, nadonality, national origin) were regarded as having a social milieu. A 2 X 2 analysis of variance of TFI scores yielded significant main effects for Closedmindedness (F = 44.78, df = 1/170, p < ,001) and Closed Social Milieu (F = 8.61, df = 1/170, p < ,005). [As predicted, high-D scorers expressed a more traditional family outlook (M = 37.60, SD = 9.12) than Low-D scorers (M = 28.86, SD = 8.02). Also consistent with initial expectations, Ss reporting a social milieu were significantly more traditional (M = 34.97, SD = 8.58) than Ss expressing a relatively open social milieu (M = 30.93, SD = 8.82) .] The results lend themselves to the interpretation thar the traditional family outlook is a narrow reference group definition of family relations which can be located in behavioral systems at either the personality or the social structural level of analysis. Further research of an experimental nature seems to be indicated.