Integrated Marketing Communications Case Studies

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Age

Theories of adult development and intergenerational relations suggest that the age of the

adult child affects the quality of parent-child relations. These theories argue that as adult

children become older, there is less conflict and greater closeness in the parent-child

relationship because maturational changes reduce differences between parents and adult

children, thus minimizing the bases for conflict between them. Further, these theories

posit that as children and parents age, there is greater tolerance for any intergenerational

differences that remain. Empirical studies conducted with both adult children and elderly

parents provide support for these theories by showing consistently that relations are more

harmonious when children are older.

Gender

A review of the literature suggests that the gender of both parent and child affects

intergenerational relations. Studies of the effects of gender consistently demonstrate

stronger affectional ties between mothers and daughters than any other combination. For

example, mothers report more positive affect with adult daughters than sons, and they are

more likely to rely on daughters than sons as confidants and comforters. In turn, adult

daughters report greater feelings of closeness to mothers than fathers.

The literature on other parent-child gender combinations suggests that there is greater

closeness and less conflict in both mother-son and father-daughter pairs than in father-son

pairs. The preponderance of studies of intergenerational relations have found that adult

sons report greater closeness to mothers than to fathers, whereas fathers report greater

closeness to daughters than to sons.

Changes in either parents' or children's social characteristics may have profound effects

on intergenerational relations. It is important to distinguish between transitions that are

experienced by adult children and those experienced by elderly parents, as well as to

make a distinction between two types of transitions: those that are normative—that is,

transitions that are socially acceptable and expected to occur at a given time—and those

that are non-normative.

Considering that normative transitions generally intensify affectional bonds, it is not

surprising to find that non-normative transitions sometimes affect parent-adult child

relations detrimentally. However, whether the non-normative transition affects relations

appears to be determined greatly by the extent to which the transition challenges parents'

values.

Recent studies of adult children's transitions support this argument. For example, studies

have shown that relations between middle-class sons and their parents often become

strained when the adult children, particularly sons, lose their jobs. Further, adult

children's relationships with their parents have been found to suffer when the children

engage in illegal behaviors, regardless of whether the actions lead to legal action.

Children's stressful life events and parents' well-being

While negative life events in the lives of adult children do not necessarily affect the

quality of the parent-child relationship, they do affect parents' psychological well-being.

Studies have shown that problems experienced by adult children, and contact with

children during these periods, can detrimentally affect elderly parents' well-being. For

example, it has been found that parents whose adult children have had mental, physical,

substance abuse, or stress-related problems experience greater depression and emotional

distress than do parents whose children did not have these problems.

Further, parents of mentally ill adults have been found to experience both substantial

psychological distress and reduced marital quality because of problems associated with

their children's bizarre and threatening behaviors. Violence and abuse by adult children

has been found to be particularly distressing to elderly parents.

Morale may also suffer if adult children's problems require parents to continue to provide

them with care and support. Such continued assistance is associated with increased

psychological distress among the elderly. Thus, to the extent that problems experienced

by children lead to their increased dependency, the quality of the relationship tends to

decline, and decrements in psychological well-being can result.

Non-normative transitions that do not challenge the parents' values appear to have far less

impact on parent-adult child relations. For example, it appears that adult children's

returning to live in their parents' homes creates little distress in the parent-child

relationship. The preponderance of the literature suggests that a child's divorce also has

little or no deleterious effect on the quality of parent-child relations. In fact, some

findings suggest that there might even be an increase in parent–adult child closeness

following a child's divorce.

However, studies have not examined whether the effects of an adult child's divorce on

parent-child relations is affected by either circumstances surrounding the divorce or by

the parents' values regarding marriage.

The transition from childhood to adulthood is a journey undergone by all, but

all in a different way. While some people believe that the maturation process

is a time for one to develop one’s individuality and uniqueness from one’s

parental figures, others believe that growing up is a fine-tuning of beliefs,

morals and ideology passed down from generation to generation. The old

saying “A chip of the old block” in most cases applies to every human,

regardless of how different one may seem from one’s parents. Qualities are

inherited that cannot be suppressed and will always prevail despite how much

one may want to differ form one’s parents. While protruding into this topic,

valuable issues must be discussed; moral ideology, lifestyles, social

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Age Theories of adult development and intergenerational relations suggest that the age of the adult child affects the quality of parent-child relations. These theories argue that as adult children become older, there is less conflict and greater closeness in the parent-child relationship because maturational changes reduce differences between parents and adult children, thus minimizing the bases for conflict between them. Further, these theories posit that as children and parents age, there is greater tolerance for any intergenerational differences that remain. Empirical studies conducted with both adult children and elderly parents provide support for these theories by showing consistently that relations are more harmonious when children are older. Gender A review of the literature suggests that the gender of both parent and child affects intergenerational relations. Studies of the effects of gender consistently demonstrate stronger affectional ties between mothers and daughters than any other combination. For example, mothers report more positive affect with adult daughters than sons, and they are more likely to rely on daughters than sons as confidants and comforters. In turn, adult daughters report greater feelings of closeness to mothers than fathers. The literature on other parent-child gender combinations suggests that there is greater closeness and less conflict in both mother-son and father-daughter pairs than in father-son pairs. The preponderance of studies ...
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