INDIVIDUATION FROM THE FAMILY OF ORIGIN AND PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT IN LATE ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

The present study explored the relationships between late adolescents' self‐reported personal adjustment and individuation from their families of origin. Individuation was defined as adolescents' subjective perceptions of how psychologically enmeshed they were in the transactional processes of fusion and triangulation within their families of origin. The results indicated a significantrelationship between adolescents' perceived involvement in their family's patterns of fusion and self‐esteem, mastery, college maladjustment and the number of reported health problems. Perceived involvement in the family triangulation process was significantly related to adolescents' perceptions of self‐esteem and mastery. The implications of the study's findings and directions for future research are discussed.