The Aspirations’ Transmissions from Father to Children

Abstract

The mechanism of aspirations’ transmissions from father to their child is a remaining topic in the developmental field of psychological research. Grounded in self-determination theory, a motivational framework that explains psychological well-being or healthy personality, this study examined the relation between fathers’ and their children’s aspirations and the factors that influence the transmission process. A total of 310 Japanese junior high school students in the 9th grades (boys = 155, girls = 155; Mage = 14.98) and their fathers (Mage = 47.95) participated in this survey. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations with medium effect size between fathers and their children’s aspirations. Additionally, moderation analysis highlighted the following two findings. First, children who received autonomy support from their fathers strengthen the connections of intrinsic aspirations which is related to affiliation and social contribution value between father and thier children. Second, in the transmission of extrinsic aspirations, which contain financial success, attractive appearance, and social recognition, a child’s life satisfaction played a crucial moderating role. Specifically, higher life satisfaction in children was associated with a greater ability to resist adopting their fathers’ extrinsic aspirations, whereas lower life satisfaction was linked to a greater likelihood of adopting them. The discussion interprets these findings and outlines directions for future investigation.