Adolescent Development in Interpersonal Context

Attachment and Autonomy During Adolescence

“…From this perspective, patterns of parent -child interaction are thought to shift as children enter adolescence, and as the underlying beliefs and expectations that surround those interactions change (Collins;Collins & Steinberg;. These shifts may be seen in the increased conflict that occurs during adolescence, which signals to all the changes that are occurring within the parent -adolescent dyad.…”

“…As indicated previously, the study of adolescent autonomy functioning has been complicated by the varying ways in which autonomy has been operationally defined and measured, including whether autonomy is treated as an intraindividual or interpersonal construct and, relatedly, whether measurement focuses on autonomy as an end point or a process (Collins & Steinberg, 2006 ). Even when considering autonomy strictly as an interpersonal construct (primarily within the parent -adolescent relationship), there are still several facets of autonomy development, including cognitive autonomy, emotional autonomy and behavioral autonomy, that must be considered (Goossens, 2006 ;Hill & Holmbeck, 1986 ;Silverberg & Gondoli, 1996 ;Zimmer -Gembeck & Collins, 2003 ).…”

“…Further, the term autonomy has often been used to capture a range of interrelated, but not necessarily equivalent, aspects of functioning, such as independence, competence, and self -reliance. As we will discuss further later in the chapter, the concept of autonomy in and of itself is also multifaceted, and numerous authors have proposed conceptual heuristics for defining and examining the various forms of autonomy that may exist (Douvan & Adelson, 1966 ;Collins & Steinberg;Goossens, 2006 ;.…”

“…However, this intrapsychic process is still being carried out within the interpersonal context of the parent -adolescent relationship, and some recent conceptualizations of autonomy development have highlighted the interpersonal nature of the autonomy process (Collins & Steinberg, 2006 ;Collins, 1990 ;Hill & Holmbeck, 1986 ). From this perspective, patterns of parent -child interaction are thought to shift as children enter adolescence, and as the underlying beliefs and expectations that surround those interactions change (Collins;Collins & Steinberg;.…”

“…At a basic level, researchers have differed as to whether they treat autonomy as an intraindividual characteristic of the adolescent, or focus on interpersonal context and dyadic processes surrounding autonomy (Collins & Steinberg, 2006 ;Hill & Holmbeck, 1986 ). Further, the term autonomy has often been used to capture a range of interrelated, but not necessarily equivalent, aspects of functioning, such as independence, competence, and self -reliance.…”