Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Research in Psychology
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Transmission of Aspirations from Father to Children
Takuma Nishimura
ABSTRACT:
The transmission of mechanisms from fathers to their children is a key area of interest in the developmental psychology research. Based on the self-determination theory, which is a motivational theory explaining psychological well-being and the development of healthy personalities, this study examined the relation between fathers’ and their children’s aspirations and the factors that influence this transmission of aspirations. A total of 310 ninth-grade Japanese junior high school students (boys = 155, girls = 155; Mage = 14.98) and their fathers (Mage = 47.95) participated in a survey. Correlation analysis revealed moderate positive links between the aspirations of fathers and their children. Additionally, moderation analysis highlighted the following two points: First, children who received autonomy support from their fathers showed stronger transmissions of intrinsic aspirations which are related to affiliation and social contribution value. Second, a child’s life satisfaction plays a crucial role in the transmitting extrinsic aspirations, which include financial success, attractive appearance, and social recognition. That is, when children’s life satisfaction is high, they are more likely to resist adopting their father’s extrinsic aspirations; likewise, when life satisfaction is low, they are more likely to adopt these aspirations. The discussion provides an interpretation of these results within the framework of the self-determination theory.
keywords: aspirations, pair data, parent-child relationship, self-determination theory