Exploring Parental Influences in the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Abstract

The theory of normative social behavior (TNSB) suggests that injunctive norms, group identity, outcome expectations, and peer communication moderate this relation between descriptive norms and behavioral intentions. This article extends the TNSB by conceptualizing parental influences (parental monitoring and disapproval) as important moderators in the relationship between descriptive norms and Korean mid-adolescents’ prior drinking behaviors as well as their drinking intentions. A study was conducted among Korean high school students ( N = 538) to assess their normative perceptions, parental monitoring, parental disapproval of drinking, drinking intentions, and past alcohol use. The current study found a significant association between parental monitoring and disapproval, on the one hand, and drinking and intentions, on the other, after controlling for descriptive norms. The results revealed that the harmful effects of adolescents’ perceptions about the prevalence of alcohol consumption among their peers may be mitigated through active parental involvement. When adolescents believed that their parents closely monitored and expressed disapproval of their drinking, they were less likely to be influenced by the high-risk behaviors practiced by their peers.