Life Course Development Program, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2321, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2010 Mar;65B(2):145-53. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbp125. Epub 2010 Jan 4.
Ambivalence theory suggests that parents experience ambivalence due to conflicting desires to help children in need and to launch children into adulthood. This study examined parents' reports of their adult children's problems and successes and implications for ambivalence. Participants aged 40-60 years (302 men and 331 women from different families) reported on up to 3 of their adult children (N = 1,251). Men and women differentiated among children in ratings of problems, successes, and ambivalence. Men and not women reported greater ambivalence regarding children with more physical-emotional problems and less career success. Men and women reported greater ambivalence regarding children with less relationship success. Consistent with ambivalence theory, individuals feel more ambivalent regarding problematic and less successful children but men's ambivalence appears to be more sensitive to their children's problems and successes than women's ambivalence.
矛盾心态理论认为,父母会因为既想要帮助有需要的孩子,又想要孩子长大成人而产生矛盾心态。本研究考察了父母对成年子女问题和成功的报告及其对矛盾心态的影响。参与者年龄在 40-60 岁之间(来自不同家庭的 302 名男性和 331 名女性)报告了多达 3 名成年子女的情况(N=1251)。男性和女性在对孩子的问题、成功和矛盾心态的评价上存在差异。男性比女性报告称,对身体-情绪问题较多且职业成功较少的孩子的矛盾心态更大。男性和女性都报告称,对人际关系成功较少的孩子的矛盾心态更大。与矛盾心态理论一致的是,个体对有问题和不太成功的孩子感到更矛盾,但男性的矛盾心态似乎比女性的矛盾心态对孩子的问题和成功更为敏感。