Conflictual Independence Research Articles

Living up to Parental Expectations, Psychological Separation, and Life Satisfaction

This study examined the relationship between living up to parental expectations (LPE) and life satisfaction as well as the moderating effect of psychological separation on this relationship among South Korean college students. The participants ( N = 343) completed an online survey measuring the study variables. We divided psychological separation into conflictual independence (CI) and general independence (GI) and performed multiple regression analysis. The results revealed a positive association between LPE and life satisfaction. Our analysis also indicated that GI moderated the relationship between LPE and life satisfaction. Specifically, the positive association between LPE and life satisfaction was significant for participants with lower levels of GI. We discussed the significance of these findings and explained their implications for counseling settings in terms of cultural considerations.

고등학생의 부모로부터의 심리적 독립(갈등적 독립)이 역기능적 진로사고에 미치는 영향: 자기효능감의 매개효과

고등학생의 부모로부터의 심리적 독립(갈등적 독립)이 역기능적 진로사고에 미치는 영향: 자기효능감의 매개효과

Development and Cross-Cultural Validity of a Brief Measure of Separation-Individuation

Separation from parents is a key aspect of adolescent development and has been linked to a variety of important mental and behavioral health outcomes. Separation-individuation measures were developed in the United States and have been used in Asian contexts. However, no cross-cultural studies have demonstrated that measures of separation-individuation tap the same domains across Asian and American adolescents. This article describes two studies conducted to develop and initially validate a scale for measuring adolescent separation-individuation. Study 1 (n = 300) developed a Brief Measure of Separation-Individuation (BMSI) using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Item Response Theory. The result was a 32-item BMSI that provided comparable test information to the original 148-item measure. Study 2 examined the BMSI for measurement invariance and convergent validity across U.S. and Taiwanese samples (ns = 231 and 323). Findings suggest that functional independence, attitudinal independence, and emotional independence may be culturally invariant separation-individuation constructs. However, conflictual independence seems to be more culturally dependent in that its items were only partially scalar invariant and it was only loosely related to the other separation-individuation factors. Findings are consistent with previous research that recommended against using total scores for the PSI (i.e., scoring a single separation-individuation dimension). This study suggests the BMSI holds promise as a brief measure of separation-individuation that can be used in cross-cultural research.

Effect of Conflictual Independence from and Attachment to Mother on Career Indecision: The Mediating Effect of Indecisiveness and Relative Effect Sizes of the Two Independent Variables

This study investigated the effect of college students` conflictual independence from and attachment to their mothers in their career indecision. The study also sought to determine whether indecisiveness had a mediating effect on the relationship between the two independent variables, and compared the independent variables` relative effect sizes. Three hundred and two South Korean college students participated in the survey. Results showed that indecisiveness mediated between conflictual independence from their mothers and career indecision, but did not have a mediating effect on the relationship between attachment to mother and career indecision. Controlling for the effect of attachment to mother, conflictual independence had a significant impact on career indecision. On the other hand, when controlling for the effect of conflictual independence, attachment to mother did not affect career indecision. Indeed, conflictual independence had a greater effect size on career indecision than attachment. Implications for career counseling and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Conflictual Independence, Adult Attachment Orientation, and Career Indecision Among Asian American Students

Due to prior research suggesting that relational variables are related to the career development process, we sought to understand how maternal conflictual independence, paternal conflictual independence, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance influence the career decision status of Asian American undergraduate students ( N = 113). The findings of the regression analysis indicated that high levels of attachment anxiety were related to high levels of career indecision. The variables of maternal and paternal conflictual independence as well as attachment avoidance were not significantly associated with participants’ career indecision. Implications for career counseling practice are discussed.

Correlations between Parental Attachment, Conflictual Independence from Parents and Career Attitude Maturity in Associate and Bachelor Nursing Students

목 적: 이 연구의 목적은 졸업예정자인 3, 4년제 간호대학생의 부모에 대한 애착, 독립에 대한 갈등, 그리고 직업에 대한 태도성숙의 관계를 알아보기 위함이다. 방 법: 본 연구는 3개의 시에 있는 1개의 3년제와 2개의 4년제 대학에 재학 중인 3, 4학년 간호대학생을 대상으로 편의표집하였다. 자료수집은 대상자에게 직접 설명한 후 동의를 거쳐 구조화된 설문지에 각자 기입하도록 하였으며, 수집된 총 200부의 질문지 중 불성실한 답변을 제외한 190부(3년제 113부, 4년제 77부)를 최종분석에 사용하였다. 자료수집은 2010년 4월 26일부터 6월 30일 사이에 이루어졌다. Armsden & Greenberg (1987)의 도구를 이용하여 부모에 대한 애착을 측정하였으며 Hoffman (1984)의 도구로 독립에 대한 갈등을, Lee 등(1991)의 도구로 직업에 대한 태도성숙을 측정하였다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS 20.0 program을 이용하여 분석하였다. 결 과: 부모에 대한 애착, 독립에 대한 갈등 및 직업에 대한 태도성숙의 3영역 모두에서 4년제 간호대학생이 3년제 간호대학생보다 평균점수가 높게 나타났으며, 부모에 대한 애착, 독립에 대한 갈등 그리고 직업에 대한 태도성숙 간에는 정적 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 결 론: 본 연구결과 간호대학생의 직업에 대한 태도성숙은 부모와의 애착관계와 독립에 대한 갈등과 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타나, 직업에 대한 태도성숙을 향상시키기 위해서는 부모와의 관계에 대한 이해가 우선적으로 이루어져야함을 제시하였다.

The Role of the Mother-Daughter Relationship in Taiwanese College Students' Career Self-Efficacy

In this study, we examined the effects of the mother-daughter relationship on the career self-efficacy of 394 female Taiwanese college students, including feelings of attachment and psychological separation. Through hierarchical regression analysis, the mother-daughter attachment relationship was found to separately and significantly facilitate predictions of career self-efficacy at the first level. The predictivity of the added psychological separation variable on career self-efficacy at the second level also reached significance after controlling for the mother-daughter attachment relationship. Additionally, the communication of the attachment relationship and the functional independence and conflictual independence of psychological separation were significant predictors. This suggests that people who a) communicate well with their mothers and who are able to manage personal matters without help from mothers, or b) have conflictual relationships with their mothers that lead to negative emotions, have better career self-efficacy.

대학생의 심리적 독립, 우울 정도와 우울 대응행동 간의 관계

본 연구의 목적은 한국 대학생의 심리적 독립, 우울 및 우울 대응행동에 대해 파악하고, 심리적 독립과 우울 간의 관계를 파악하는 것이다. 본 연구는 충청도 소재의 4개교의 대학생 131명을 대상으로, 구조화된 설문지를 이용한 자가보고식 설문조사로 시행되었다. 연구결과, 대상자의 우울 수준은 우울하지 않음 54.2%, 경증 우울 22.9%, 중증 우울 16.8%, 심한 우울 6.1%로 나타났으며, 우울 대응행동은 인지활동지향행동 30.76%, 혼자하는 행동 28.32%, 대물지향행동 25.50%, 대인관계지향행동 15.06% 순으로 나타났다. 우울 수준에 따라 아버지의 심리적 독립은 기능적, 정서적, 갈등적 독립에 있어 유의한 차이를 나타내었고, 어머니의 심리적 독립은 우울 수준에 따라 갈등적 독립만 유의한 차이를 나타냈다. 아버지로부터의 심리적 독립은 기능적, 태도적, 정서적, 갈등적 독립의 모든 영역에서 우울과 유의한 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났으며, 어머니로부터의 심리적 독립은 갈등적 독립만 우울과 유의한 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구결과를 바탕으로 대학생의 심리적 건강향상을 위한 간호중재는 아버지로부터의 심리적 독립 수준을 강화하고 어머니와의 갈등적 독립을 해결하기 위한 전략이 포함되어야 할 것이며, 보다 바람직한 우울 대응행동을 할 수 있도록, 사회적, 정서적 지지가 필요할 것으로 사료된다. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological separation, depression and antidepressive coping behaviors and to examine the relationship between psychological separation, and depression in Korean university students. The subjects were 131 students who were in 4 university in Chungcheong-do, Korea. The data were collected through self reported structured questionnaire using the psychological separation index, beck depression inventory and antidepressive coping behaviors instrument. The level of depression was classified into; not depressed, 54.2%; mildly depressed, 22.9%; moderately depressed, 16.8%; severely depressed, 6.1%. Among antidepressive coping behaviors, cognitive activity-oriented behaviors was the one with highest percentage(30.8%). Depression was negatively related to functional independence, attitudinal independence, emotional independence from father and conflictual independence from mother. And depression was positively related to conflictual independence from father. These results suggest that it is necessary to develop nursing intervention to strengthen psychological separation form parents and to be able to help desirable antidepressive coping behaviors for the psychological health of university students.

Too close for comfort: Inadequate boundaries with parents and individuation in late adolescent girls.

This longitudinal study examined the ramifications of psychological control-guilt induction, parentification, triangulation, and blurring in parent-adolescent relationships for girls' individuation and adjustment. The study followed 120 girls in their transition from high school to military service. Results from the variable-centered and person-centered analyses merged in underscoring the somewhat different developmental path of two groups of inadequate boundary constellations. The group with high guilt induction and psychological control, which involves rejection and invalidation of the child's autonomous self, evinced the worst coping and adjustment to the transition and the lowest level of individuation with a combination of angry entanglement and strivings for overindependence. The blurred-parentified group resembled the adequate boundaries group regarding some indicators (e.g., low levels of engulfment anxiety and high conflictual independence), but further revealed overdependence and immaturity (e.g., high nurturance seeking, low emotional independence, and the lowest functional independence). Implications for preventive work with adolescents and their families are suggested.

고등학생의 성별.우울수준과 부모와의 심리적 독립과의 관계

The research is find out the importance of psychological separa tion of high school students and the effects of this separation from their parents on depression. The data were collected boys( 108) and girls(120) second-grade high school students in Jeonbu k area and analyzed Independent-Samples T-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation in use of SPSS WIN 11.5 program. The main results are as follows.: 1, Psychological separation from farther was that girls were higher in attitudinal independence than boys. Psychological separation from mother was that boys were higher in functional, emotional independence than girls. There was no significant differences in depression between boys and girls. 2. In the relation between psychological separation from father and depression, girls showed negative correlation attitude ind ependence and both of boys and girls showed positive correlation in conflictual independence. In the relation between psychological sepa ration from mother and depression, boys showed negative correlation in attitude independence and girls showed negative correlation in functional, attitudinal independence and both of boys and gi rls showed positive correlation in conflictual independence.3. Psychological separation from father by the level of depression was related attitudinal, conflictual independence for girls and was related conflictual independence for boys. Psychological se paration from mother by the level of depression was related functional, attitudinal, conflictual independence for girls and was related attitudinal, conflictual independence for boys. Finally, the more severe depression was related higher conflict independence from their parents.Key Words : Psychological independence, High school students, D epression.

Psychological separation-individuation and adjustment to college among Korean American students: The roles of collectivism and individualism.

This study examined the effects of psychological separation-individuation on adjustment to college among 170 Korean American students in the contexts of collectivism and individualism. The results showed that the two dimensions of psychological separation-individuation measured by the Psychological Separation Inventory (PSI; J. Hoffman, 1984) related to the cultural variables differently and showed contrasting relationships to college adjustment: Conflictual independence from parents related negatively to individualism and was associated positively with college adjustment, whereas general independence from parents related negatively to both collectivism and college adjustment. Additionally, collectivism was found to be positively associated with college adjustment. Individualism functioned as a moderator, as a low degree of individualism strengthened the positive relationship between collectivism and college adjustment.

Family Communication Patterns and College Adjustment: The Effects of Communication and Conflictual Independence on College Students

Research on the college student adjustment has not investigated the effects of family communication patterns on the psychological separation-individuation process during late adolescence. Studies in both communication and psychology delineate a clear detrimental effect of negative, closed communication and familial conflict. Conversely, open communication has been shown to have positive psychological consequences. This study found that pluralistic and protective family types significantly predict conflictual independence from parents. In addition, the effects of a protective family communication pattern on college students' adjustment is mediated by the student's level of conflictual independence; that is, students who perceive their parents using the protective communication style reported having low levels of conflictual independence from their parents and being less adjusted to college.

Separation/Attachment Theory and Career Decidedness and Commitment: Effects of Parental Divorce

This study tested separation and attachment theory in relation to the career choice commitment of college students, including those from divorced families, and the impact of family status on separation, attachment, and career variables. Partial or limited support was found for separation and attachment theory. For example, conflictual independence, attachment, and financial press related moderately to vocational exploration and commitment, but not the tendency to foreclose on a career choice. The former relations tended to be stronger for students with recently divorced parents than for students whose parents divorced earlier or for those from intact homes. Students from intact families displayed more career decidedness and financial connectedness to their parents. Students with divorced parents reported higher financial press and greater attitudinal, functional, and emotional independence from fathers.

The Relationship of Parental Attachment and Psychological Separation to the Psychological Functioning of Young Adults

The authors explored the interrelations between attachment patterns and psychological separation from parents as well as the contribution of these variables to adaptive psychological functioning. Among 153 university students in Greece, there was a positive association between security of attachment and freedom from guilt, anxiety, and resentment toward one's parents (conflictual independence); in contrast, there was an inverse relation between security of attachment and independence from parents in relation to emotional, functional, and attitudinal independence. Compared with the insecurely attached students, the securely attached students also scored higher on measures of self-esteem and lower on measures of anxiety and loneliness.

Separation from Parents in Late Adolescence: The Same for Boys and Girls?

This study examined the way late adolescents separate from their parents. Emotional independence and conflictual independence toward mother and father were assessed. Emotional independence was defined as freedom from an excessive need for emotional support from the parents and conflictual independence as absence of guilt, mistrust, and anger toward parents. Students (18–22 years; N = 190) enrolled in higher education completed two scales of Hoffmann's Psychological Separation Inventory. Results indicated that girls more than boys need emotional support from their mothers (z = −3.101, p < .002). They express this need significantly more towards their mothers than towards their fathers (z = −4.194, p < .00003). The pattern of the girls' typical items demonstrated an ambivalence between reported dependence and demand for autonomy. The two types of independence (emotional and conflictual) were moderately correlated (r s = ∼.40). These findings support Gilligan's argument that connectedness plays a central role in the development of female adolescents. They speak for a multidimensional approach of the psychological separation process, which takes the type of independence and the children's and parents' gender into account.

Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youths: Separation-Individuation, Parental Attitudes, Identity Consolidation, and Well-Being

The study examines separation-individuation during adolescence and young adulthood for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths, and evaluates the consequences of parent-youth relationships for well-being and sexual orientation identity development. Seventy-two youths completed interview and questionnaire measures of relatedness, autonomy, and conflictual independence in relation to mothers and fathers, along with self-reports of parent attitudes, identity consolidation, and well-being. When youths perceived that their parents had relatively accepting attitudes regarding sexual orientation they demonstrated closer relatedness and greater conflictual independence with parents, but not greater autonomy. Both accepting parental attitudes and greater separation-individuation predicted more positive well-being for the youths, though only parental attitudes predicted greater consolidation of sexual orientation identity. Although mothers were generally closer and more supportive than fathers, relationships with both parents were important, independent predictors of personal adjustment. The discussion proposes mutual influences among separation-individuation, perceived acceptance by parents, identity consolidation and well-being.

Identity development, career development, and psychological separation from parents: Similarities and differences between men and women.

This study examined the differential nature of relations between degree of identity development (Moratorium and Achieved identity statuses) and career and psychological separation variables for men (n = 129) and women (n = 118). Career development variables predicted degree of identity exploration (Moratorium identity status) and identity commitment (Achieved identity status) for both genders. For men, conflictual independence from parents predicted degree of identity exploration, and emotional independence predicted degree of identity commitment, negatively and incrementally. For women, attitudinal independence predicted degree of identity commitment, negatively and incrementally. Suggestions regarding counseling and career counseling are given.

Contributions of Family Relationship Factors to the Identity Formation Process

This study tested the proposition that family relationship variables would be related in predictable ways to ego identity status. The authors administered measures of parental attachment, psychological separation, and ego identity status to 174 students from a large northeastern state university. The results indicated that women who experience greater parental attitudinal dependence and attachment and a modest degree of conflictual independence from mother tend to evidence more identity foreclosure and identity achievement and less diffusion. In addition, women who experience some degree of attachment to mother and attitudinal independence from mother are most likely to avoid diffusion, foreclosure, and moratorium. Men who experience parental attitudinal independence are likely to be in the diffusion or moratorium statuses and not in the identity‐achieved and foreclosure statuses.

Undergraduates' conflictual independence, adjustment, and alcohol use: the importance of the mother-student relationship.

This study investigated conflictual independence from parents (defined as a relationship free of anger and resentment), adjustment, and alcohol use among college students at a midwestern technical university (N = 109). Results showed that adjustment, as measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (1989), was associated with having achieved conflictual independence from one's parents as measured by Hoffman's (1984) Psychological Separation Inventory. Additionally, greater alcohol use was associated with having achieved less conflictual independence from parents; the most frequent and strongest relationships occurred with respect to the mother-student relationship. The results suggested that the parent-student relationship has an impact on late adolescent development and that it also may play a role in alcohol use by college students.

The Mother-Daughter Relationship and Psychological Separation in Adolescence

Fifty pairs of mothers and their 15 to 18-year-old daughters participated in a study that investigated the role of the mother-daughter relationship in the process of psychological separation in adolescence. Psychological separation was expected to be predicted by maternal empathy and by the conceptual complexity of the self and object representations of the mothers and daughters. Psychological separation of the daughter was measured by the Psychological Separation Inventory (PSI) and a combination of two PSI subscales. The mother's capacity for empathic understanding of her daughter was determined by a congruence score derived from the Offer Parent-Adolescent Questionnaire and the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. Mothers and daughters wrote brief descriptions of themselves and each other, which were scored for conceptual complexity. Although the total PSI score was not predicted by the Congruence score and the complexity of the representations, when combined Conflictual and Emotional Independence subscales...