Abstract
Filial maturity refers to the adult offspring’s perception of parents as individuals with past histories and limitations. Three studies were conducted to measure filial maturity and its relational and developmental correlates. Study 1 included adults aged 18–59 to empirically assess filial maturity and its correlates across adulthood. Study 2 examined associations between filial maturity and constructs indicative of emerging adulthood (e.g., emotional autonomy), among people aged 18–24. Study 3 included young and middle-aged adults (N = 158; ages: 22–49) and their parents to assess associations between parents’ reports of relationship quality and offspring’s filial maturity. Offspring reported greater filial maturity with mothers and with parents with whom they reported greater relationship quality, closeness, and autonomy. Parents who reported greater relationship quality had offspring who reported greater filial maturity. Findings suggest that filial maturity is a dyadic phenomenon that influences parent child relationship quality across the lifespan.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., & O’Connor, T. G. (1994). Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Development, 65, 179–194.
Aron, A., Aron, E. N., & Smollan, D. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 63, 596–612.
Aron, A., Aron, E. N., Tudor, M., & Nelson, G. (1991). Close relationships as including other in the self. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 60, 241–253.
Blenkner, M. (1965). Social work and family relations in later life with some thoughts on filial maturity. In E. Shanas & G. F. Streib (Eds.) Social structure and the family: Generational relations (pp. 46–59). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Blos, P. (1979). The adolescent passage. New York: International Universities Press.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
Bray, J. H., & Harvey, D. M. (1992). Intimacy and individuation in young adults: development of the young adult version of the personal authority in the family system questionnaire. Journal of Family Psychology, 6, 152–163.
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.
Bryant, F. B. (2000). Assessing the validity of measurement. In L. G. Grimm & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.). Reading and understanding more multivariate statistics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bryant, F. B., & Yarnold, P. R. (1995). Principal-components analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In L.G. Grimm & P.R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding multivariate statistics (pp. 99–136). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Cairns, R. B. (1977). Beyond social attachment. The dynamics of interactional development. In T. Alloway, P. Pliner, & L. Krames (Eds.), Attachment behavior (pp. 1–24). New York: Plenum.
Carstensen, L. L. (1992). Social and emotional patterns in adulthood: Support for socioemotional selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 7, 331–338.
Cicerelli, V. G. (1988). A measure of filial anxiety regarding anticipated care of elderly parents. The Gerontologist, 28, 478–481.
Fingerman, K. L. (1996). Sources of tension in the aging mother and adult daughter relationship. Psychology and Aging, 11, 591–606.
Fingerman, K. L. (1997). Being more than a daughter: Middle-aged women’s conceptions of their mothers. Journal of Women and Aging, 9, 55–72.
Fingerman, K. L. (2000). We had a nice little chat: Age and generational differences in mothers’ and daughters’ descriptions of enjoyable visits. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 55, P95–P106.
Fingerman, K. L. (2001a). Aging mothers and their adult daughters; A study in mixed emotions. New York: Springer Publishers.
Fingerman, K. L. (2001b). The paradox of a distant closeness: Intimacy in parent/child ties. Generations (Special Edition: Perspectives on Intimacy), 25, 26–33.
Fingerman, K. L., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Hay, E. L., (2004). The adult family study. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University.
Fingerman, K. L., Hay, E. L., Kamp Dush, C.M., Cichy, K. E., & Hosterman, S. (2005). Role revisions: Parents’ and offspring’s perceptions of change and continuity in later life. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Fredricksen, K. I., & Sharlach, A. E. (1996). Filial maturity: Analysis and reconceptualization. Journal of Adult Development, 3, 183–191.
Hagestad, G. O. (1984). Multigenerational families, socialization , support, and strain. In V. Garms-Homolova, E. M. Hoerning, & D. Schaeffer (Eds.), Intergenerational relationships (pp. 105–114). Lewiston, NY: C. J. Hogrefe, Inc.
Hagestad, G. O. (1987). Parent–child relations in later life: Trends, gaps in past research. In J. B. Lancaster, J. Altmann, A. S. Rossi, & L. R. Sherrod (Eds.), Parenting across the lifespan (pp. 405–433). New York: Aldine De Gruyter.
Hay, E. L., Fingerman, K. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2005a). The experience of worry in the parent and adult offspring relationship. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Hay, E. L., Fingerman, K. L., & Lefkowitz, E. L. (2005b). The Parent–Adult Relationship Quality (PARQ) Scale: A measure of positive and negative qualities in intergenerational relationships. Manuscript in preparation.
Grotevant, H. D., & Cooper, C.R. (1986). Individuation in family relationships: A perspective on individual differences in the development of identity and role-taking skill in adolescence. Human Development, 29, 82–100.
Lang, F. R., & Schütze, Y. (2002). Adult children’s supportive behaviors and older parents’ subjective well-being—a developmental perspective on intergenerational relationships. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 661–680.
Marcoen, A. (1995). Filial maturity of middle aged adult children in the context of parental care: Model and measures. Journal of Adult Development, 2, 125–136.
Murray, P. D., Lowe, J. D., & Horne, H. L. (1995). Assessing filial maturity through the use of the filial anxiety scale. The Journal of Psychology, 129, 519–529.
Newsom, J. T., Morgan, D. L., Nishishiba, M., & Rook, K. S. (2000, November). Development of new comparable measures of negative and positive social exchanges. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America annual meeting, Washington, DC.
Noack, P., & Buhl, H. M. (2004). Child-parent relationships. In F. R. Lang & K. L. Fingerman (Eds.), Growing together. Personal relationships across the lifespan (pp. 45–75). Cambridge: University Press.
Nydegger, C. N. (1991). The development of paternal and filial maturity. In K. A. Pillemer & K. McCartney (Eds.), Parent–child relations throughout life (pp. 93–112). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rossi, A. S., & Rossi, P. H. (1990). Of human bonding. Parent–child relations across the lifecourse. New York: De Gruyter.
Shapiro, A. (2004). Revisiting the generation gap: Exploring the relationships of parent/adult-child dyads. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 58, 127–2004.
Shaw, B. A., Krause, N., Chatters, L. M., Connell, C. M., & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (2004). Emotional support from parents early in life, aging, and health. Psychology and Aging, 19, 4–12.
Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Parent–adolescent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11, 1–19.
Steinberg, L., & Silverberg, S. B. (1986). The vicissitudes of autonomy in early adolescence. Child Development, 57, 841–851.
Stimpson, J. P., Tyler, K. A., & Hoyt, D. R. (2005). Effects of parental rejection and relationship quality on depression among older rural adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 61, 195–210.
Suitor, J. J., & Pillemer, K. (1987). The presence of adult children: A source of stress for elderly couple’s marriages. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 717–725.
Suitor, J. J., & Pillemer, K. (1988). Explaining intergenerational conflict when adult children and elderly parents live together. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 1037–1047.
Thompson, L., & Walker, A. J. (1984). Mothers and daughters: Aid patterns and attachment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 313–322.
Umberson, D. (1989). Relationships with children: Explaining parents’ psychological well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 999–1012.
Walker, A. J. (1979). The social networks of young marrieds: Distinguishing among relationship types. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University:.
Webster, P. S., & Herzog, R. A. (1995). Effects of parental divorce and memories of family problems on relationships between adult children and their parents. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 50, S24–S34.
Williamson, D. S., Bray, J. H., Harvey, D. M., & Malone, P. E. (1985). Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire Version C. Houston, TX..
Youniss, J., & Smollar, J. (1985). Adolescent relations with mothers, fathers, and friends. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Birditt, K.S., Fingerman, K.L., Lefkowitz, E.S. et al. Parents Perceived as Peers: Filial Maturity in Adulthood. J Adult Dev 15, 1–12 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9019-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9019-2