Parents' Workplace Experiences and Family Communication Patterns

Data gathered from 178 parents of adolescent children are used to elucidate observed relationships between social class and family communication patterns. The results—that parents generalize from their own life experiences, particularly in the workplace—are consistent with Kohn's theory of learning generalization: Conversation orientation is positively associated and conformity orientation is negatively associated with the degree of openness and autonomy in workplace communication. In this sample, the effect is stronger among women than among men.