Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA.
Dev Psychol. 2011 Sep;47(5):1353-65. doi: 10.1037/a0024050.
Adolescents differ in the extent to which they believe that parents have legitimate authority to impose rules restricting adolescents' behavior. The purpose of the current study was to test predictors of individual differences in legitimacy beliefs during the middle school years. Annually, during the summers following Grades 5, 6, and 7, early adolescents (n = 218; 51% female, 47% African American, 73% in 2-parent homes) reported their beliefs regarding the legitimacy of parents' rules that restrict and monitor adolescents' free time activities. Cross-lagged analyses revealed that legitimacy beliefs were bidirectionally associated with independent decision making, psychological control, antisocial peer involvement, and resistance to control. Legitimacy beliefs declined more rapidly during the middle school years for boys than for girls and for adolescents who were older relative to their classmates. More independent decision making in Grades 5 and 6 predicted larger than expected declines in legitimacy beliefs in Grades 6 and 7. In sum, legitimacy beliefs weaken developmentally, and weaker legitimacy beliefs relative to same-grade peers are anteceded by premature autonomous experiences, psychological control, and adolescent attributes.
青少年在多大程度上认为父母有权制定限制青少年行为的规则存在差异。本研究的目的是检验中学阶段影响合法性信念个体差异的预测因素。在五年级、六年级和七年级后的暑假期间，每年都会有 218 名早期青少年（51%为女性，47%为非裔美国人，73%来自双亲家庭）报告他们对限制和监督青少年自由时间活动的父母规则的合法性的看法。交叉滞后分析表明，合法性信念与独立决策、心理控制、反社会同伴卷入和抵制控制呈双向关联。与女孩和与同班同学相比年龄较大的男孩，在中学阶段，合法性信念下降得更快。五年级和六年级时更独立的决策，预示着六年级和七年级时合法性信念的下降幅度大于预期。总之，合法性信念在发展过程中会减弱，与同年级同伴相比，合法性信念较弱的情况是自主体验过早、心理控制和青少年特征的先行因素。
