Define the term autonomy and discuss gender and cultural differences that have been found in adolescents' autonomy.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Defining adolescent autonomy is more complex and elusive than it might seem at first. The term autonomy generally connotes self-direction and independence. One aspect of autonomy that is especially important is emotional autonomy, the capacity to relinquish childlike dependencies on parents. In developing emotional autonomy, adolescents increasingly de-idealize their parents, perceive them as people rather than simply as parenting figures, and become less dependent on them for immediate emotional support. Gender differences characterize autonomy granting in adolescence, with boys being granted more independence than girls are. This is especially true in those U.S. families with a traditional gender-role orientation. Also, Latino families protect and monitor daughters more closely than sons to a greater degree than is the case in non-Latino White families. Expectations about the appropriate timing of adolescent autonomy often vary across cultures, parents, and adolescents. Approval of early autonomy on the part of adolescents is more prevalent in non-Latino Whites, single parents, and adolescents themselves than in Asian Americans or Latinos, married parents, and parents themselves.