Reference : Intergenerational Solidarity in Adulthood: The Role of Family Norms in Intergeneratio...
Scientific journals : Article
Social & behavioral sciences, psychology : Multidisciplinary, general & others
http://hdl.handle.net/10993/35562
Intergenerational Solidarity in Adulthood: The Role of Family Norms in Intergenerational Support and Ambivalence
English
Albert, Isabelle[University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Integrative Research Unit: Social and Individual Development (INSIDE) >]
Ferring, Dieter[University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Integrative Research Unit: Social and Individual Development (INSIDE) > Institute for Research on Generations and Family]
[en] intergenerational solidarity ; social support ; adult child-parent relations ; family values ; ambivalence
[en] Starting from Bengtson’s solidarity paradigm, we will investigate the role of internalized family norms in intergenerational support as well as experienced ambivalence from the adult child perspective. We assume that internalized family norms are an important determinant of relationship regulation as they have an impact both on the selection of specific behavior as well as on its evaluation. As a consequence, own and others’ behavior should be most positively evaluated if it is in line with internalized norms and values. In contrast, if intergenerational solidarity and support exchange do not converge with internalized norms and expectations, ambivalence might be experienced. These assumptions are examined in a sample of N = 131 middle-aged adults living in Luxembourg and Germany, who reported on their relations toward their mothers and fathers. Findings showed that normative aspects of intergenerational solidarity were less important compared to affective aspects when predicting support exchange between adult children and their parents; however, family values had a moderating role in the relation between support exchange and ambivalence. Results are discussed with respect to the centrality of values in implicitly and explicitly guiding support behavior within families.