Parental influence on intrinsic and extrinsic goals

 

Ferber et al. (2024) Ferber et al. (2024) investigate in a recent article how parental factors are related to the intrinsic and extrinsic goals of children. The study is a meta-analysis of 49 reports. These focus on the influence of parental aspirations and parenting styles on the goals that children pursue. The researchers looked at intrinsic goals such as personal growth and relatedness, and extrinsic goals such as wealth and status. The study aimed to provide insight into how parents contribute to the development of these different types of goals in their children. 

What is the influence of parents on their children's goals?

This study was conducted within the framework of self-determination theory . This theory states that intrinsic goals contribute to greater well-being by fulfilling the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Extrinsic goals , on the other hand, focus on external rewards and recognition, which is less conducive to well-being ( read more ). With this meta-analysis, Ferber et al. (2024) wanted to investigate how parental factors are related to the goals that children pursue. They looked at parents' own goals and their parenting style.

Meta-analysis

The meta-analysis included 49 reports and 53 studies. The researchers analyzed data from children from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The average age of the children in the samples was 17.75 years, and the sample consisted of both boys and girls. The studies came from different parts of the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In these studies, information was collected on parental factors, such as parenting styles and parents' aspirations, and how these related to their children's intrinsic and extrinsic goals.

The researchers collected data on several parental factors, such as autonomy support , involvement, and structure, as well as parents’ aspirations. Children’s intrinsic goals included aspirations for personal growth, relatedness, and health, while extrinsic goals focused on wealth, status, and image. The analysis also focused on how parents exerted psychological support or control and how this influenced children’s goal-setting. Data were collected from both parental self-reports and children’s reports of their parents.

Results

The results of the meta-analysis showed the following:

1. Positive correlation between intrinsic goals of parents and children: There is a positive correlation between the intrinsic goals that parents consider important and those of their children.
2. Association between autonomy-supportive parenting style and children's intrinsic aspirations: Children of parents who used an autonomy-supportive parenting style were more likely to report intrinsic aspirations.
3. Association between extrinsic goals, psychological control, and children's extrinsic aspirations: Children of parents who pursued more extrinsic goals and exercised psychological control were more likely to report pursuing extrinsic goals.
4. Importance of parental goals and parenting style: Both the goals that parents consider important and their parenting style are related to their children's aspirations.

Reflection and implications

The findings of this study underscore the importance of the role that parents play in the development of their children’s goals. Supporting intrinsic aspirations by providing autonomy and involvement is associated with higher well-being in children. On the other hand, extrinsic aspirations, especially when encouraged by psychological control, are associated with lower long-term well-being. For parents, educators, and policymakers, a key challenge lies in creating environments that support children’s basic psychological needs so that they can focus on intrinsic goals that promote their well-being.