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Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
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Mothers' beliefs about knowledge and mother—adolescent conflict

Tabitha R. Holmes

State University of New York, New Paltz, holmest{at}newpaltz.edu

Lynne A. Bond

University of Vermont

Ciara Byrne

University of Vermont

Efforts to understand parent—adolescent conflict have largely ignored the broad adult cognitive frameworks that guide parent behavior. Mothers (n = 56) and their adolescents (n = 52) individually completed multiple measures regarding the nature of their parent—adolescent conflict. Mothers also completed interviews regarding their beliefs about knowledge. As hypothesized, mothers' epistemological beliefs predicted mothers' and adolescents' descriptions of conflict patterns. Mothers with more complex epistemologies reported engaging in less intense conflict and experiencing less negative conflict behavior and their adolescents reported more positive communication. These mothers and adolescents also described a conflict pattern that emphasized collaboration and an openness to multiple opinions. Promoting mothers' own understanding of knowledge may be an important strategy for supporting more constructive parent—adolescent interactions.

Key Words: epistemological beliefs • family interactions • parent— adolescent conflict

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 25, No. 4, 561-586 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0265407508090873
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