Individualism-collectivism and conceptualizations of interpersonal relationships among Turkish children and their mothers

This study examined children’s, adolescents’, and their mothers’ individualistic-collectivistic (I-C) tendencies. Specifically, we investigated relationships among mothers’ and children’s socioeconomic characteristics and their I-C responses to interpersonal conflict situations. Participants were 240 students (from fifth, eighth, and tenth grades) and their mothers. To measure I-C tendencies, we used six hypothetical scenarios depicting interpersonal conflict situations. Results revealed that children’s responses were more collectivistic when compared with those made by adolescents. Mothers with higher education and children from relatively higher income families displayed more individualistic tendencies. Although participants generally gave more individualistic responses to home-based scenarios, responses varied depending upon situational factors. Such findings confirm the coexistence approach of I-C.