Parental Power and Adolescents' Parental Identification

Abstract

McDonald's social power model of parental identification is combined with sex-linked models of parental identification to account for the identification of daughters and sons with their mothers and fathers. The data come from McDonald's 1980 study using information from 149 daughters and 147 sons. The key finding is that there is a effect. Because of this halo effect, a gain in identification with one parent is not at the other parent's expense. Daughters identify directly with their mothers, and part of this identification is transferred to their fathers; sons identify directly with their fathers, and part of this identification is transferred to their mothers. The model explains approximately 40% of the variance in identification with either parent for both sons and daughters. Much of this explanatory power comes from the halo effect rather than social power variables. Social power dimensions are better predictors for daughters than for sons. A daughter identifies with her father because of his attributed legitimate and referent power. She identifies with her mother because of her expert power.