Teen-Parent Relationships

Topic: Teen-Parent Relationships (MP3, 5.4MB)
Recorded by: Karol Maybury
Length: 11 minutes, 27 seconds

This podcast examines the shifting relationship between parents and preteen/teen girls — in particular the transformation as adolescent girls becomes more independent and peer-oriented. We examine healthy adolescent attachment (what Joseph Allen describes as “the developmentally appropriate shift from boys and girls being cared-for by parents to increasingly caring for themselves and others”). In addition, we look at research by Cohen (2004) and Theran, Newberg and Gleason (2010) who have examined the role of para-social relationships (one-sided relationships that many girls have with media figures) in girls’ psychological development. Finally, listeners are given some practical suggestions for staying relevant and in-reach as girls increasingly relate to peers and media figures.