The quality of family relationships within and across generations: A social relations analysis

Abstract

Parents and two children (average ages: 81/2 and 51/2 years) in 76 families each appraised the quality of their relationships with one another. Family members described generally positive relationships, both from their own perspectives (e.g., “I am often nice to my mother”) and from the perspectives of their relationship partners (e.g., “My mother is often nice to me”). Sibling relationships were rated less positively than other family relationships. The Social Relations Model was utilised to examine the patterning of family relationships. Actor effects, indicating consistent relationship qualities for each individual family member, were found, especially for ratings of self. Partner effects, indicating consistency in relationships as assessed by others in the family, were present for ratings of the children as relationship partners. Relationship effects were pervasive, indicating that specific family relationships had distinct qualities. Participants’ own ratings suggested that reciprocity would characterise all family relationships, in that strong correlations were found between each person’s rating of self and other, but only the marital and the sibling relationship evidenced relational reciprocity, as assessed by correlations between relationship effects found for relationship partners.