A gender comparison on the association of adolescent emotional autonomy with educational expectations and self-esteem

Abstract

This article examines gender differences in the relation between emotional autonomy and adolescent outcomes in educational expectations and self-esteem. “Individuation,” the subscale that reflected a parental lack of knowledge and understanding of the adolescent, was found to be associated with lower educational expectations and lower self-esteem for both boys and girls, with the effects being stronger among girls. On the other hand, “Deidealization” was related to higher educational expectations for both boys and girls, with the effect more salient among girls. The results supported the arguments that because girls were more socialized to value family closeness, and were facing more conflicting future roles in contemporary society, an emotional detachment from parents reflected by “individuation” appears to be more of a deprivation for their career expectations and sense of self-worth.