The adolescent's experience of parental discipline

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Adolescents are often perceived as moody, rebellious, disinterested in school and inclined to riskybehaviours such as premature sex, drug-taking and alcohol abuse.As a result of the 'storm and stress' period that they are associated with, parents appear to losetouch with their adolescents, and fail to maintain the close bonds that they took for granted whiletheir children were young. In attempts to control their adolescents' behaviour, parents seem todrive their teenagers further away from them.The conclusion is reached that adolescents experience parental discipline in a way that eithercreates a sense of belonging to the family unit, or causes them to become distant and defiant ofparental authority.A qualitative approach is used to establish what adolescents experience as positive and what theyexperience as negative regarding their parents' disciplinary styles. The study is undertaken in aprivate school in a suburb of Cape Town.The study revealed the following:• A democratic parenting style creates a sense of worthiness in the adolescent. In thisatmosphere adolescents feel nurtured and respected and therefore grow into well-balancedyoung adults.• Parents should take note of their adolescents' emotional experiences and attune theirdisciplinary approach in order to obtain their children's willing co-operation to be guidedtowards adulthood by their parents.• Most teenagers do appreciate and respect their parents.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University