Tackling Parenting Styles, Parent-Adolescence Relation, and Generation Gaps

Interview paper
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Interview paper
Introduction
The following interview is primarily based on a gathering of three individuals representing adolescent research on biological families, transitions, and peer influence, respectively. Three individuals are; Beth, a 53-year old female; Jane, a 17-year old female; and David, a 26 year- old male. Beth has been a marriage counselor for years. She has published research articles accounting for family issues. Jane is a secondary school student. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Francis. David holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Their qualifications give me confidence in choosing them as my interviewees. The resulting paper also outlines the individuals' responses to particular questions asked in an interview. The goal of the discussion is to help with explaining, understanding, and exploring the research on the above-stated points. The interviewees elaborated on the questions based on this research.    
1 of 3: Families
a) Generation gap
i. When does the generation gap occur?
ii. Could the generation gap be a source of conflict between adolescents and their parents?
iii. Can adolescents overcome the generation gap?
iv. Does technology affect the generation gap?
I chose the generation gap in this entry since the generation gap affects how adolescents behave. The generation gap is a crucial issue for many adolescents; Hence it is discussed below. Adolescents' concepts are illustrated in this entry by David, Beth, and Jane in their responses to the question on family issues; David argues that "The generation gap occurs when both parents and young adolescents misunderstand one another due to differences in their beliefs, opinions, and interests." 
In her response, Beth explains how her parents talked about issues that made her upset. She further states that her parents were concerned about her safety as a growing girl, making her think they mistrusted her. Being raised in a lower-class family, Beth's parents were not conversant with changing technology. She states that the use of old technology gave her parents the impression that there was no need to use the phone for communication, and, as a result, she was constantly at odds with them.
In her response to the questions, Jane mentioned that keeping an open mind could reduce the generation gap. She also stated that frequently communicating, understanding each other, and providing unconditional love could help lessen the opening.
b) Parent-adolescent conflicts
i. What is your understanding of parental-adolescent conflicts?
ii. Is fighting between parents a culture?
iii. Do conflicts hurt Adolescents?
iv. How did you deal with the conflicts?
 I chose parental-adolescents conflicts in this entry. In asking the three interviewees questions, I will understand various factors that lead to parental conflicts. Branje et al., 2009 emphasize various ways that could cause parental conflicts. Solomon et al., 2008 also emphasize how conflicts affect the adolescent's way of living. I asked the three individuals questions based on parent-adolescent conflicts via a phone call. In this concept's response to questions, David mentioned, "A parental-adolescent conflict is a conflict that arises as a result of disagreement leading to lesser or greater interactions between parents and adolescents" he argued that many ways could cause the course of conflicts.
     Beth, willing to respond to the questions, said, "As I studied, I thought the conflict between adolescents and parents was normal. However, through my study of psychological perspectives by Anna Freud and G. Stanley Hall, I felt that conflicts are healthy for teenagers because they push adolescents emotionally away from their parents. She also argued that conflicts hurt adolescents. Adolescents are harmed because many parents involved in disputes are aggressive and always make threats. In addition, conflicts lead to the psychological torture of the adolescent.
Jane mentioned her view on ways to deal with conflicts. She said that in solving disputes, parents should be willing to listen as they try to understand each other's feelings and generate solutions to conflicts together.
  c) Parenting styles
i. What parenting style did your family use while you were in your adolescence?
ii. Do relationships differ among families?
iii. In your opinion, is authoritative parenting good?
iv. What is the impact of authoritative parenting on adolescents? 
I chose parenting styles to understand various parenting styles in families, their relationships, and their impacts on adolescents. Willing to answer parenting styles, David mentioned that he was raised by an authoritative father, unlike her cool mother. He stated that his father was warm and sensitive, but he always set his limits. He usually avoided punishment. This type of parenting made him the person he is today. He further explained that his father being sensitive helped him be a sharp and authoritative mother of two.
Beth, being raised by non-authoritative parents, explained the different relationships among families. She stated that how parents raise their adolescents is different in families. "Some parents are not authoritative as my father was." She said. Providing her response, Beth mentioned that research does not show the positive impact of authoritative parenting in adolescents. However, she stated that authoritative parenting in adolescents helps them to be principled and disciplined. 
Jane, on parenting styles, argued that authoritative parenting produces obedient and proficient adolescents. In my opinion, family is a concept that plays a crucial role in adolescent life. The generation gap, conflicts among parents, and parenting styles have impacted adolescents' life in many ways, some of them mentioned by Beth. Parenting should be considered the energy a person lives later defined by how they behaved in their teen years. For instance, if authoritative parents raise an adolescent, the person will likely be disciplined in the future. 
From the above three responses, it is concluded that different individuals have different adolescents experiences. The responses outlined by the three respondents depicts that parenting styles, generation gap, and parents adolescents conflicts influence the adolescents' life.
2 of 3: Biological transitions
a) Puberty manifestations
i. What are the sexual characteristics of puberty?
ii. What are the reasons for puberty timing in girls? iii. How does puberty timing affect your psychological development?
iv. In your opinion, why are most adolescents so clumsy?
I chose puberty manifestations in adolescents to get an insight into the impact of puberty on adolescents. Louis Steinberg states that death taxes are a law of nature, and no one can avoid puberty. To assess the contributions to biological transitions in adolescents, I asked David, Beth, and Jane questions based on the physical changes of adolescents based on puberty manifestations. In response to the questions, first David mentioned that puberty characteristics are enlarged breasts, pubic hair growth, and widening hips in females. He also said that the development of pubic hair, chest broadening, and voice breakings are puberty characteristics in males. The interview lasted for 20 minutes.
Beth, in her response, stated that there were factors that contributed to puberty timing in adolescents. She said that endocrine-disrupting chemicals and body fats contribute to puberty timing. Also, birth weight and being exposed contribute to puberty timing in girls.
Jane, in her response, responded to the questions of this section. She said that puberty timing affects the psychological development of adolescents. "Being one of the village girls who matured early," she said. "I have had constant depression, which is a result of low self-esteem." Concluding puberty manifestations, Jane mentioned that many adolescents are clumsy because they have a higher growth rate. She explained that this happened due to changes in hormones in adolescents.
   
b) Social impact of puberty
i. Do you think adolescents are moodier compared to adults and children?
ii. Does hormonal imbalance vary with gender?
iii. Are you affected by sleep?
iv. Do you think connections are essential for adolescents? 
I chose social impact on puberty to understand hormonal imbalance, the mood in adolescents, and sleep in adolescents. After a 10-minute break, the interview resumed. I asked the three individuals questions about the social impact of puberty on adolescents. In response, David mentioned that adolescents are moodier than adults and children since there is a growth of pubertal hormones, impacting varying attitudes. He also stated that hormonal imbalance had harmed him as he could not interact well with others. He said that he often did not feel like talking to anyone with no apparent reason for that. The change in hormones made him lose self-esteem, which harmed his academic performance. Also, he lost some of his friends who could not understand his situation by then.
Beth responded to the questions on the above concept by stating that hormones vary with gender. "The pubertal hormones in males are not the same as pubertal hormones in females." She said. She further noted that hormonal differences are what distinguish males and females. She stated that hormones are produced by different organs, with hormones in both males and females fluctuating.
In her response to the questions, Jane mentioned that the research suggests that a teenager should have 8-10 hours of sleep every night; she constantly found herself sleeping 6 -7 hours per night. Inconsistent sleeping patterns resulted in her sleep deprivation, which hampered her studies. In addition, her biological clock changed during puberty since she constantly found problems waking up in the morning while she always slept late during the night.
Responding to the questions of this section, Jane emphasized the importance of connections for adolescents. She argued that parent-to-parent relations are essential for an adolescent. Having enough resources is also important." she said. Jane further argued that parents' financial stability and social connections play an indispensable role in the healthy development of adolescents. She claimed that a financially stable family makes it easier for their children to reduce stress. Stability also helps in having the necessary resources to meet the needs of adolescents.
c) Delayed phase preference?
i. Did you experience puberty at a typical age?
ii. Did your maturity have an impact on your closeness with boys?
iii. What triggers a delayed phase preference in adolescents?
iv. What does delayed phase preference suggest schools should do for adolescents?
I chose this entry because adolescents encounter delayed phase pre...