Control Versus Autonomy During Early Adolescence
Corresponding Author
Jacquelynne S. Eccles
Universities of Colorado and Michigan
JACQUELYNNE S. ECCLES is Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Research Scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the development of self-concept, interest patterns, activity preferences, and achievement orientation.
Psychology Department, Campus Box 345, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309–0345.Search for more papers by this authorChristy Miller Buchanan
University of Michigan
CHRISTY MILLER BUCHANAN is Research Associate at the Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on familial and biological influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorConstance Flanagan
University of Michigan
CONSTANCE FLANAGAN is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, Dearborn Campus. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. She is interested in the interplay of familial, cultural, and economic influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorAndrew Fuligni
University of Michigan
ANDREW FULIGNI is a graduate student in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. His research centers on the interplay of family and peer influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorCarol Midgley
University of Michigan
CAROL MIDGLEY is a research scientist at the School of Education of the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in education at the University of Michigan. Her research centers on the impact of school and classroom contexts on childhood and adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorDoris Yee
University of Michigan
DORIS YEE is currently on leave from the graduate program in psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on family influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jacquelynne S. Eccles
Universities of Colorado and Michigan
JACQUELYNNE S. ECCLES is Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Research Scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the development of self-concept, interest patterns, activity preferences, and achievement orientation.
Psychology Department, Campus Box 345, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309–0345.Search for more papers by this authorChristy Miller Buchanan
University of Michigan
CHRISTY MILLER BUCHANAN is Research Associate at the Stanford Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on familial and biological influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorConstance Flanagan
University of Michigan
CONSTANCE FLANAGAN is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, Dearborn Campus. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. She is interested in the interplay of familial, cultural, and economic influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorAndrew Fuligni
University of Michigan
ANDREW FULIGNI is a graduate student in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. His research centers on the interplay of family and peer influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorCarol Midgley
University of Michigan
CAROL MIDGLEY is a research scientist at the School of Education of the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in education at the University of Michigan. Her research centers on the impact of school and classroom contexts on childhood and adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorDoris Yee
University of Michigan
DORIS YEE is currently on leave from the graduate program in psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on family influences on adolescent development.
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Research and theorizing about adult control have often made seemingly conflicting recommendations and predictions about the potential impact of that control on children's social and intellectual development. Researchers concerned with intrinsic motivation have argued for minimal use of controlling strategies with children; other researchers, in contrast, argue that relatively high levels of adult control, when exercised in an emotionally supportive relationship, produce the best developmental consequences. Optimal levels of control undoubtedly change as children grow older. Person-environment fit theory suggests that the match between the child's need for autonomy and the amount of adult control exercised is critically important. This article puts this theory into a developmental framework, and suggests that parents and teachers need to modulate their levels of control based on the developmental stage of the child. Optimal developmental outcomes ought to result from an environment that gradually reduces adult control as the child's desire for autonomy increases. Evidence from the Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions is presented to support this hypothesis.
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