TITLE:
The Relationship between Attachment Styles in Adulthood and Attitudes towards Filial Responsibility: A Comparison between Three Generations of Arabs and Jewish Women
AUTHORS:
Pnina Ron
KEYWORDS:
Filial Responsibility, Attitudes, Cultural Differences, Well-Being
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
1,
2016
ABSTRACT:
Background: Care giving for an elderly
parent is a universal developmental task, and in all societies is one of the
women tasks; its expectations are considered norms known as filial
responsibility. The aim of the study is to examine the possibility of
connections between the attitudes toward filial responsibility to elderly
parents and the attachment style in adulthood and age (generation) among women.
Methods: The research participants were 63 Jewish and Arab university students,
their mothers (N = 62) and their grandmothers (N = 63). Research instruments
consisted of a self- report questionnaire, which revealed background
characteristics, and measured attitudes toward filial responsibility, style of
adult attachment; self-esteem; sense of mastery and, family support. Results
revealed ethnicity differences as well as between-generations differences
regarding normative attitudes toward filial responsibility, which may indicate
a changing taking place in the Arab society’s approach concerning these
attitudes. An additional finding brought to light the cross-generational
differences in the relationship between the attachment style in adulthood and
the attitudes regarding filial responsibility. Conclusion: It seems that in
attitudes towards filial responsibility, Arab society is still traditional in
terms of its approach to the institutions of clan and family mostly among the
elderly Arab Muslims. All of the modern changes most likely have an effect on
adults’ sense of filial responsibility, on social norms, and on familial
traditions.