1. The Effect of Authoritative
Parenting Style in Communicative
Adaptability among Adolescents.
Sruthi Mathew
I Msc. Clinical Psychology

2. Introduction
Research Problem
1. This study aims to examine the
influence of Authoritative
Parenting Style in Communicative
Adaptability among Adolescents.

3. Communicative Adaptability
• Communicative adaptability, the
ability to adjust in social
settings, can also be defined as the
capacity of the individual to adjust
him/herself to the situation with
minimum friction (Karlsson, 1963).
• According to Wheeless and Duran
(1982), Communication Adaptability
focuses on the variety of individual
experiences and the ability to be
flexible and feel comfortable with

4. • Communicative adaptability
involves the use of wit and
emotional reactivity as well as
emphasizes individual differences in
the capacity to adapt to immediate
surroundings (Beatty, Marshall, &
Rudd ,2001).

5. • It measures 6 dimensions:
– (1) Social Experience :which
assesses affect for and
participation in varied social
settings.
– (2) Social Conformation :which
taps maintenance of the other's
projected social image.
– (3), Social Composure :which
measures the degree to which one
feels relaxed in social situations.
– (4) Appropriate Disclosure : which

6. – (6) Wit : which taps the use of
humor to diffuse social tension
(Duran, 1992).

7. Parenting Styles
• According to Louw et al. (1998),the
way in which parents bring up their
children is considered a parenting
style .
• Parenting style is defined as : “ a
general pattern of care giving that
provides a context for specific
episodes of parental child rearing
behaviors , but it does not refer to

8. • Baumrind’s (1971) seminal work on
the classification of parenting
styles has been essential in
influencing research on parenting
and its effect on children and
adolescents.
• In her work she identified three
types of parenting styles:
– Authoritative,
– Authoritarian,
– Permissive.

9. Authoritative style
• Authoritative parenting which is
accepted as the most ideal form in
relation to parental care and
attitudes, has the rules which are
open, clear, discussible. It is ready
to be changed according to
interests and needs. It can be
reorganized because of it’s flexible
structure (Mussen, et al,1990).
• Authoritative parenting is a more

10. • Authoritative parents are
responsive to their children’s
needs and ideas and will often seek
their children’s views in family
deliberations and decisions
(Baumrind, 1991; Weiss &
Schwarz, 1996).

11. Need for the study
• There is no literature that relates
Authoritative Parenting Styles and
Communicative Adaptability.
• The interaction between parent and
child is the child’s primary
introduction to the world of
relationships (James, 1994; Purvis,
Cross, & Sunshine, 2007; Ryan &
Wilson, 1995; Ryan & Bratton, 2008;
Siegel & Hartzell, 2004; Van Fleet &
Sniscak, 2003).
• Communication is the means by

12. • Authoritative style has been
seen as the most effective in
enhancing personal and social
responsibilities in
adolescents, without
constraining their newly
formed autonomy and
individuality(Glasgow, Dornbusc
h, Troyer, Steinberg, &
Ritter,1997).
• Parental influence has an
effect not only on their

13. • Temperamental traits changed
more during emerging adulthood
than during any other period of
life. It is possible that being well
informed regarding your
offspring’s social life and
experiences outside of the
household may be particularly
important during this transitional
period from adolescent to adult
responsibilities. Thus, one way

14. Relationship between Authoritative
Parenting Style and Communicative
Adaptability
• It is assumed that with variations in
degree of Authoritative Parenting
Style, there would be difference in
how the child Communicates with
his/her socio-interpersonal
relations.
• Authoritative parents are more
likely to engage adolescence in
verbal give and take and allow

15. Research Problem
1. To examine the Effect of
Authoritative Parenting Style on
Communicative Adaptability among
Adolescents.

16. Research Questions
1. Is there an Effect on Authoritative
Parenting Style on Communicative
Adaptability among Adolescents?

17. Objectives
• To assess the Communicative
Adaptability among Adolescence
and Authoritative Parenting Style
among the parents of these
Adolescents.
• To find the effect of Authoritative
Parenting Style in Communicative
Adaptability among Adolescents.

18. Hypotheses
1. There is a positive effect on
Authoritative Parenting Style in
Communicative Adaptability among
Adolescence.

19. Research Design
• Descriptive comparative design

20. Sampling Design
• Convenient sampling method.
• Sample size of 100.
• Both males and females would be
taken.
• Inclusive criteria:
– Adolescence within age group
between 15-19 years .
• Exclusion criteria :
– Divorced or separated parents

21. Materials
• Communicative Adaptability Scale
(CAS) by Robert Duran.
• Consists of 6 dimensions: (1)
social experience, (2) social
conformation (3) social
composure (4) appropriate
disclosure (5) articulation (6)
wit.
• 25 items (Social subscale)
• 5-pt Likert scale
• The average alpha reliabilities
for the CAS dimensions are:

22. • Parenting Styles and Dimensions
Questionnaire(PSDQ) by
Robinson, C., Mandleco, B., Olsen, S.
F., & Hart, C. H. (1995)
• A 32-item Likert-type questionnaire
designed for two purposes:
–(1) To measure three global
parenting style variables
consistent with Baumrind's
typologies :
»Authoritative,

23. (2) To measure the dimensions
and internal structures
within those typologies. The
authoritative pattern consists
of three stylistic dimensions:
»(1) connection—
warmth/acceptance, 6
items;
»(2) regulation—
reasoning/induction, 4
items; and
» (3) autonomy granting—

24. • The PSDQ questionnaire is reliable
and valid measure that is widely
used by psychologists. The
Cronbach’s alpha for primary
factors was found to be 0.91
(authoritative), 0.86 (authoritarian)
and 0.75 (permissive) (Robinson et
al., 2001).

25. Statistical tool
• Independent sample t-test will be
used.