A Comparative Study of the Effect of Family Socialization on Interpersonal Relationships

The investigation primarily undertook to determine the effect of certain family socialization patterns on interpersonal relationships. Secondary purposes were to determine the degree of differences between a selected Mennonite “religio-ethnic” group and a non-Mennonite control group in relation to family socialization and interpersonal relations as well as to determine the extent to which Kauffman’s findings could be generalized to the present sample. The variables under consideration were family type, religious type, quality of child-parent relationships, success of child-peer relationships, and frequency of child-parent interaction.A partial form of a Likert-type questionnaire developed by Kauffman was used to obtain data from 102 adolescents, within the 13-15 year age range, in the Milford Public School, Milford, Nebraska. The sample consisted of fifty-one Mennonite respondents and a matched group of fifty-one non-Mennonite respondents.The t-test, Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation, and chi-square statistical techniques were used to determine the significance of the finds. General conclusions made by the investigator were that the trend from traditional family structure to emergent family structure was not detrimental to the sample population and that family type apparently had more influence than religious type on the respondents used in the present study. Specific findings which resulted from the investigation were: (1) The quality of the child-parent relationship was higher in emergent than in traditional families. (2) The quality of the child-parent relationship was higher as the frequency of the child-parent interaction in work and play activities increased. (3) The success with which the child related to his peers was greater in emergent than in traditional families. (4) The frequency of child-parent interaction in work and play activities was higher in emergent than in traditional families. Advisor: Ruby Gingle