Adolescents and their feeling of acceptance

Psychology and psychotherapy of children and adolescents

Abstract

The author’s main interest in this research is the acceptance by one’s parents and its relation to accep­tance of self, peer acceptance and acceptance by God. Beside this basic issue the author examines, how the acceptance by parents connected with adolescent acceptance of others is. 429 students (158 male and 271 female) completed a questionnaire designed for this purpose. The results confirm the connection be­tween the acceptance by parents and the acceptance by relations concerned. The research indicates stronger mother’s influence on the feeling of acceptance in these relations. However boys who feel accepted by their fathers exhibit higher acceptance of themselves. The same is valid for girls in relation to their mothers. The adolescents’ ability to accept others is closely related to their feeling of being accepted by their parents. These results match other researches, which dealt with adolescent acceptance, self esteem, and relations with parents, peers and God.