Finding safe ground: An interactive theory of the development of self -esteem and behavioral competence within the parent -child relationship
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to present and test a theory of "safe ground," which details the characteristics of parent-child interaction that lead to self-esteem and behavioral competence with a greater degree of specificity than existing theories. Safe Ground Theory details particular characteristics of parental responses to three different contexts of child behavior: positive child behavior, controllable negative child behavior, and mitigated negative child behavior (mistakes, accidents, or otherwise blame-mitigated behavior). Parental response characteristics are considered desirable within the framework of the theory if they are predicted to develop a sense of a metaphorical "safe ground," and therefore to positively influence self-esteem and behavioral competence. "Safe ground" connotes a place free from harm, in which one can enjoy a secure well-being. To move away from the geographical metaphor and apply it directly to the issue at hand, it is the child's perception that certain types of parent-child interactions, namely positive ones, can be relied upon and elicited at will. To test the theory, a retrospective study was conducted with college students (participants were asked to recall their mothers' behavior while they were in high school), and a new set of measures (the "Safe Ground" Scales,) which allows measurement of 12 independent variables relevant to safe ground theory) were introduced. On the whole, safe ground theory provided a better explanation for the influences of perceived maternal responses on outcome variables (self-esteem and behavioral competence) within the context of positive child behaviors than within the context of controllable negative or mitigated negative child behaviors. Metaphorically speaking, safe ground theory described interactions leading to safe ground per se better than it described those interactions that serve to either erode safe ground or to define its boundaries.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Wilson, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Communication|Developmental psychology
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