Sex-roles and dyadic uniqueness in parent-child personality trait relationships

Abstract

Parent-child personality trait intercorrelations were examined in 127 intact, middle-class, Caucasian families (393 children: 162 females and 231 males between ages 6 and 22), using the age-appropriate test in the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire series. The main parent/child linkages differed for each parent-child dyad: daughters' unconflicted, introverted dependency was linked with mothers' unconflicted, emotionally sensitive dependency; daughters' sensitive, unconflicted dependency was linked with fathers' inhibited dependency; sons' dependent, introverted neuroticism was linked with insecure, sensitive, emotional neuroticism in mothers; sons' inhibited, resentful, insecure neuroticism was linked with dependent, introverted neuroticism in fathers. These patterns indicate that family relationships revolved around neuroticism versus mental health for boys and sex-role traits of dependence, emotionality, and introversion for girls. For adolescent sons (over 13 years), sex-role traits of aggressiveness, tough-mindedness, and emotional insensitivity replaced low neuroticism in important linkages with both parents. Eldest daughters showed unusually strong and unique linkages with fathers, emphasizing father-daughter similarity on central character traits such as ego and superego strength, tension level, and strength of self-image.