Parental affiliation and anaclitic identification in young women

Abstract

A hypothesis was tested that an affectionate bond with parents (parental affiliation) makes a child to take in the attitude and behavioral pattern of the parents (anaclitic identification). Eighty-five female students in a college and their parents were asked to answer a questionnair on value judgement, personality, and parental affiliation. The children had value system and personality similar to those of their parents as they perceived, rather than the actual parents themselves. There was a correlation between the degree of resemblance (between a child and the parents) and the degree of parental affiliation, partly supporting the hypothesis. © 1979, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.