Parental Control Techniques

Abstract

A total of seven different parental control techniques—approaches employed in parental influence attempts—are examined in data based on 197 suburban parents' descriptions of 1,109 parent-adolescent influence encounters. The most prevalent control techniques are “command” (imperative statements without punishments or overt threats of punishment) and “self-oriented induction” (suggested consequences for the child of his or her behavior—consequences not controlled by the parent). Other control techniques are relatively infrequent. Most of the control techniques are related to one or more situational factors, but the situational effects upon command and self-oriented induction are especially pronounced. Most of the estimated situational effects are interpreted in terms of the relative immediacy of the various control techniques.