Mother-Child emotional expressiveness in early adolescence: The role of youth emotional self-Expectancies

The purpose of the research reported in this chapter was to examine adolescents' emotional self-expectancies (ESE) as contributors to emotional expressiveness between mothers and adolescents. Data were collected from 268 10- to 12-year-olds (133 girls, 135 boys) and their mothers. Adolescents were interviewed using hypothetical stories to assess their ESE. In addition, mother-adolescent dyads were observed in a 15-min conversational activity. Mother-adolescent interaction was coded for both partners' expression of 4 discreet emotions: happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. Results revealed that adolescent's ESE was related to the discrete emotions displayed with their mother, with adolescents who expected to react with more happiness expressing more happiness, adolescents expecting to react with anger expressing more anger, and adolescents expecting to react with more fear expressing more fear. In addition, adolescents with ESE of happiness were less likely to express sadness, adolescents with ESE of anger were less likely to express fear, and adolescents with ESE of sadness were less likely to express happiness or fear. Analyses also revealed that mother's emotional expressiveness was significantly related to adolescent's ESE. Adolescents with ESE of happiness had mothers who expressed more happiness, less anger, and less sadness, whereas adolescents with ESE of anger had mother who expressed less happiness, more anger, and more fear. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical understanding of cognitive-emotional links and the process of mother-adolescent relations.