Some Social Class Differences in the Family Systems and Group Relations of Pre- and Early Adolescents

Family interaction in disturbed and normal families: A methodological and substantive review.

“…As with child's sex, a number of investigators have reported interaction patterns in disturbed and normal families to be importantly influenced by social class (Alkire, 1969;Baxter & Arthur, 1964;Becker & Iwakami, 1969) and child's age (Ferreira, 1963a(Ferreira, , 1963bFerreira & Winter, 1968a;Murrell & Stachowiak, 1967). In addition, social class and child's age variables have been of continued importance to sociologists and to social and developmental psychologists in their theoretical and empirical attempts to clarify the nature of family relationships (Blood & Wolfe, 1960;Bowerman & Elder, 1964;Douvan & Adelson, 1966;Hess, 1970;Kohn, 1963;Maas, 1951;Scott, 1962;Strauss, 1967;Strodtbeck, 1958;Hess & Torney, Note 3). Although differences in social class and child's age would appear to seriously limit one's ability to make meaningful comparisons across studies, most of the empirical literature previously cited did not employ direct observation methods and/or did not systematically assess the effects of social class and child's age on family interaction patterns.…”

Social Class and the Socialization Process

“…Duvall (1946) found that working-class mothers elicited specific behavioral conformities from their children, whereas middle-class mothers focused on the child's growth, development, affection and satisfaction. Middle-class parents were seen as having more acceptant, egalitarian relationships with their children and to be more accessible to the child than the parents in the working class (Maas, 1951). Although the working-class father was reported to be less available and accessible to the child than the middle-class father (Bronfenbrenner, 1961), working-class mothers were seen as expecting their husbands to be more directive and to play a larger role in the imposition of constraints (Kohn and Carroll, 1960).…”

Sociological correlates of child behavior.

“…The lower-class-family system has been described as rigid, geared toward the maintenance of order, and hierarchical not only in the parent-child relationship but in the parent-parent relationship as well. The child is, therefore, once removed from direct communication with one parent (75). Middle-class parents have more acceptant, equalitarian relationships with their children and with each other, and both are more accessible to the child than parents in the working class (18,75).…”

“…The child is, therefore, once removed from direct communication with one parent (75). Middle-class parents have more acceptant, equalitarian relationships with their children and with each other, and both are more accessible to the child than parents in the working class (18,75). Parental roles in the middle class are less differentiated and less rigidly defined (20).…”

“…The evidence is now preponderantly on the side of greater permissiveness among middle-class parents toward the infant and young" child, particularly in respect to his needs and impulses (9,18,106). As the child grows older, however, and into adolescence, it is the working class that grants greater freedom from parental control and supervision (75,96). Whether freedom from parental control and supervision can be classified in the rubric of "permissiveness" is perhaps questionable.…”