Reciprocity of Intra-Family Dyadic Relations from Adolescents’ Perspective

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze how adolescents perceiving their parents in acceptance or tight control dimensions construed their intra-family dyadic relations in terms of reciprocity through Repertory Grid Technique. Results showed that majority of adolescents evaluated their relationships with their parents positively. However, they evaluated their parents’ relationships with them negatively. The relationship perceived most negative in the family was the element 'your mother’s current relationship with you’, while the least likened reciprocal relationship was found to be the reciprocal relationship with the mother. It was concluded that adolescents who perceived their parents as accepting found more similarities in their mother's relationship with themselves and with their siblings. These adolescents also viewed their relationship with both parents as similar. As for the adolescents who perceived their parents as exercising strict control, they rated their relationship with their fathers as more reciprocal. The findings in this study were discussed within the framework of Personal Construct Theory.