The impact of father-to-mother aggression on the structure and content of adolescents' perceptions of themselves and their parents

This study examined the differential influence of the father's level of aggression toward the mother on adolescents' perceptions of their parents and of themselves and how these perceptions are interrelated. This study consisted of a probability sample of 1,014 Jewish Israeli youth between the ages of 13 and 18. The findings indicate that in cases in which there was no father-to-mother aggression, adolescents held a coherent image structure of the family members. With the emergence and increase in aggression, the coherence deteriorated. In cases of mild aggression, youths tended to identify with their fathers. As aggression intensified, in cases of severe aggression, the identification with the aggressor was increasingly difficult, and the youths tended to identify with their mother. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.