Discuss parent-teen conflict. Who initiates the push to separate from parents? When is conflict at its peak, and why? What issues do teens argue about? How does the content of teenage arguments differ by culture? Are there gender differences in the teenage push to separate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Parent-teen conflict tends to erupt when teens become more rebellious and secretive during the early teens. Undergoing puberty may unleash hormonal changes that propel the impulse to separate. Parents respond by giving their children more freedom somewhat later, after a child reaches the mid-teens. While parent-teen conflicts relating to rules (that is, freedom) loom large in every culture, the topics families argue about are somewhat dependent on a given society's priorities (that is, in the United States, getting good grades; in the Middle East, friendship choices). Ideally, older teens reach a new equilibrium when they are given more independence and can relate as fellow adults to their parents. However, there also is a gender split, with girls reaching out to share feelings with their mothers during the older teenage years, and boys remaining more secretive about their inner lives as they travel into adult life.

Discuss Parent-Teen Conflict