![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Healthy development necessitates that adolescents maintain connections with others while developing an autonomous identity. In the extant literature, however, autonomy and relatedness are often placed at odds, particularly in discussions of girls. We explore how autonomy and relatedness co-occur in girls’ interactions with peers and mentors in the context of an after-school mentoring program. Four mentoring groups were observed over the course of an academic year. We identified three forms of co-occurrence: (a) Coordination, (b) Competition, and (c) Neutrality. In addition, girls discussed autonomy-relatedness dilemmas from outside of the mentoring group to test out enacted autonomy and foster their group relationships. Findings suggest that mentoring groups serve as a safe space for girls to connect with others while making self-directed, independent decisions.
References
Section:
|
Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., O’Connor, T. G. (1994). Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Development, 65, 179-194. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Allen, J. P., Marsh, P., McFarland, C., McElhaney, K. B., Land, D. J., Jodl, K. M., Peck, S. (2002). Attachment and autonomy as predictors of the development of social skills and delinquency during midadolescence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 56-66. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Amaro, H., Blake, S. M., Schwartz, P. M., Flinchbaugh, L. J. (2001). Developing theory-based substance abuse programs for young adolescent girls. Journal of Early Adolescence, 21, 256-293. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Aspelmeier, J. E., Kerns, K. A. (2003). Love and school: Attachment/exploration dynamics in college. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 5-30. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Banister, E., Leadbeater, B. (2007). To stay or leave? How do mentoring groups support healthy dating relationships in high-risk girls? In Leadbeater, B., Way, N. (Eds.), Urban girls revisited: Building strengths (pp. 121-141). New York: New York University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Banister, E. M., Begoray, D. L. (2006). A community of practice approach for Aboriginal girls’ sexual health education. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 15, 168-173. Google Scholar | Medline | |
|
Beiswenger, K. L., Grolnick, W. (2009). Interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with autonomous motivation in adolescents’ after-school activities. Journal of Early Adolescence, 30, 369-394. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Bowie, B. H. (2007). Relational aggression, gender, and the developmental process. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 20, 107-115. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Brown, L. M. (1998). Raising their voices: The politics of girls’ anger. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Chirkov, V. I., Ryan, R. M. (2001). Parent and teacher autonomy-support in Russian and U.S. adolescents: Common effects on well-being and academic motivation. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32, 618-635. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Chirkov, V. I., Ryan, R. M., Kim, Y., Kaplan, U. (2003). Differentiating autonomy from individualism and independence: A self-determination theory perspective on internalization of cultural orientations and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 97-110. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Ciani, K. D., Middleton, M. J., Summers, J. J., Sheldon, K. M. (2010). Buffering against performance classroom goal structures: The importance of autonomy support and classroom community. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35, 88-99. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Crick, N. R., Grotpeter, N. K. (1995). Relational aggression, gender, and social-psychological adjustment. Child Development, 66, 710-722. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Deci, E. L., La Guardia, J. G., Moller, A. C., Scheiner, M. J., Ryan, R. M. (2006). On the benefits of giving as well as receiving autonomy support: Mutuality in close friendships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 313-327. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Deutsch, N. L. (2008). Pride in the projects: Teens building identities in urban contexts. New York: New York University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Deutsch, N. L., Jones, J. (2008). “Show me an ounce of respect”: Respect and authority in adult-youth relationships in after-school programs. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23, 667-688. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Deutsch, N. L., Reitz-Krueger, C., Henneberger, A., Futch, V., Lawrence, E. C. (2014). “It gave me ways to solve problems and ways to talk to people”: Outcomes from a combined group and one-on-one mentoring program for early adolescent girls. Manuscript submitted for publication. Google Scholar | |
|
Deutsch, N. L., Wiggins, A., Henneberger, A., Lawrence, E. (2012). Combining mentoring with structured group activities: A potential after-school context for fostering relationships between girls and mentors. Journal of Early Adolescence, 33, 5-16. Google Scholar | ISI | |
|
Fuligni, A. J., Eccles, J. S. (1993). Perceived parent-child relationships and early adolescents’ orientation toward peers. Developmental Psychology, 29, 622-632. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Furrer, C., Skinner, E. (2003). Sense of relatedness as a factor in children’s academic engagement and performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 148-162. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Hirsch, B. J. (2005). A place to call home: After-school programs for urban youth. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Josselson, R. (1994). Identity and relatedness in the life cycle. In Bosma, H. A., Graafsma, T. L. (Eds.), Identity and development: An interdisciplinary approach (Vol. 172, pp. 81-102). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar | |
|
Kagitcibasi, C. (1996). The autonomous-relational self: A new synthesis. European Psychologist, 1, 180-186. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kagitcibasi, C. (2005). Autonomy and relatedness in cultural context: Implications for self and family. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, 403-422. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Kerig, P. K., Swanson, J. A., Ward, R. M. (2011). Autonomy with connection: Influences of parental psychological control on mutuality in emerging adults’ close relationships. In Kerig, P. K., Schulz, M. S., Hauser, S. T. (Eds.), Adolescence and beyond: Family processes and development (pp. 134-154). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Kirchner, B. (2009). “Power in numbers”: Youth organizing as a context for exploring civic identity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19, 414-440. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kuperminc, G. P., Allen, J. P., Arthur, M. W. (1996). Autonomy, relatedness, and male adolescent delinquency: Toward a multi-dimensional view of social competence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 11, 397-420. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Larson, R. W., Brown, J. R. (2007). Emotional development in adolescence: What can be learned from a high school theater program? Child Development, 78, 1083-1099. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Lawrence, E., Roberts, K., Sovik-Johnston, A., Thorndike, A. (2009). Young women leaders program mentor handbook (6th ed.). Charlottesville: The Rector and Board of Visitors, University of Virginia. Google Scholar | |
|
Leadbeater, B. J., Way, N. (Eds.). (1996). Urban adolescent girls: Resisting stereotypes, creating identities. New York: New York University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Lee, J., Bell, N. J. (2003). Individual differences in attachment-autonomy configurations: Linkages with substance use and youth competencies. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 347-361. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Liang, B., Spencer, R., Brogan, D., Corral, L. (2008). Mentoring relationships from early adolescence through emerging adulthood: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72, 168-182. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
O’Connor, T. G., Allen, J. P., Bell, K. L., Hauser, S. T. (1996). Adolescent-parent relationships and leaving home in young adulthood. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 71, 39-52. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Pelletier, L. G., Dion, S., Levesque, C. S. (2004). Can self-determination help protect women against sociocultural influences about body image and reduce their risk of experiencing bulimic symptoms? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 61-88. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Raeff, C. (2004). Within-culture complexities: Multifaceted and interrelated autonomy and connectedness characteristics in late adolescent selves. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 104, 61-78. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Ryan, R., Deci, E. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Schad, M. M., Szwedo, D. E., Antonishak, J., Hare, A., Allen, J. P. (2008). The broader context of relational aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Predictions from peer pressure and links to psychosocial functioning. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 346-358. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Way, N., Hughes, D., Yoshikawa, H., Kahana-Kalman, R., Niwa, E. (2008). Parents’ goals for children: The dynamic coexistence of individualism and collectivism in cultures and individuals. Social Development, 17, 183-209. Google Scholar | ISI | |
|
Taylor, J. M., Gilligan, C., Sullivan, A. M. (1995). Between voice and silence: Women and girls, race and relationship. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Way, N. (1995). “Can’t you see the courage, the strength that I have?” Listening to urban adolescent girls speak about their relationships. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 107-128. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Way, N. (2004). Intimacy, desire, and distrust in the friendships of adolescent boys. In Way, N., Chu, J. Y. (Eds.), Adolescent boys: Exploring diverse cultures of boyhood (pp. 167-196). New York: New York University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Way, N. (2013). Boys’ friendships during adolescence: Intimacy, desire, and loss. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23, 201-213. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Wentzel, K. R. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 202-209. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Willemen, A. M., Schuengel, C., Koot, H. M. (2011). Observed interactions indicate protective effects of relationships with parents for referred adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 1-7. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Wray-Lake, L., Crouter, A. C., McHale, S. M. (2010). Developmental patterns in decision-making autonomy across middle childhood and adolescence: European American parents’ perspectives. Child Development, 81, 636-651. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
