Types of individuation in relation to parents: Predictors and outcomes

Abstract

Individuation in relation to father and mother is one of the key developmental tasks of adolescence, and has been conceptualized as gaining autonomy while maintaining relatedness to parents. Research on high-conflict, divorced and step-families suggests that specific stressors in these family types may compromise successful individuation by undermining relatedness, triggering insecurities or leading to early independence. This study takes a typological approach (1) seeking to identify distinct patterns of adolescents' relationships to mother and residential father figure (biological or stepfather), (2) testing the effects of family structure and dynamics, and (3) investigating links between type of individuation and adolescents' adjustment. The sample consisted of N = 649 adolescents in Germany aged between 10 and 20 years who lived in nuclear, single-mother or stepfather families. The Munich Individuation Test of Adolescence (MITA) was used to assess individuation. For n = 473 adolescents data on individuation in relation to the biological or stepfather were available. Cluster analyses resulted in three types of individuation regarding mothers and four types regarding fathers. In particular, children from (nuclear) families with high interparental conflict were at risk for an insecure ambivalent relationship. Securely individuated youth showed significantly better adjustment in a variety of outcomes.