To What Extent Do Perceived Parental Socialization Values Match Estonian Adolescents’ Personal Values?

The study examined how similar perceived parental socialization values are to adolescents’ personal values and whether the value type and adolescents’ age and gender play a role in this. The sample included 504 Estonian adolescents aged 13–19 ( M age = 15.30), who assessed their personal and parental socialization values with a 21-item version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire. A mixed ANOVA showed that whilst adolescents were oriented to openness to change values, they perceived their parents as putting less emphasis on these values in socialization. Conservation values, on the contrary, were of low importance to adolescents, but perceived to be socialized in them by parents. Boys and girls did not differ in how similar their personal values were to perceived parental socialization values. Benevolence and self-direction were the two value types on which the degree of similarity between adolescents’ personal and perceived parental socialization values differed by age. For adult socializers, the findings highlight the importance of supporting and showing interest in adolescents’ values and holding discussions about values (especially openness to change and conservation) in order to better understand each other’s priorities.