Enactment of social power and role behavior in families of disturbed and nondisturbed preadolescents

Conducted a study with 47 disturbed and 47 normal 8-13 yr. olds and their families. An ongoing family communication task was used to measure the degree to which each parent independently displayed an authoritarian power position over the child. The effects of the exertion of this power on family task-role behavior was then observed. In most cases, mothers of the undisturbed and fathers of the disturbed children were alike in that they had difficulty in displaying authority over the child. They were also alike in subsequent task-role behaviors. In contrast, fathers of the nondisturbed and mothers of the disturbed families were more authoritarian and also similar in task behaviors. (18 ref.)