The bidirectional effects of parenting and a virtuous intellectual character: A longitudinal study of Argentinean adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the bidirectional relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ parenting styles and the development of a virtuous intellectual character. A longitudinal panel study was conducted, which involved annual evaluations of a sample of 383 adolescents from secondary schools in urban areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina. At Time 1, 57% of the participants were girls, 43% were boys, and one identified as nonbinary. At Time 2, 58% of the participants were girls, and 42% were boys. The average age of the participants was 12.63 years (SD = 0.69) at Time 1 and 13.42 years (SD = 0.59) at Time 2. This study used the Argentine Parenting Styles Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Parental Challenge Questionnaire, and the Virtuous Intellectual Character Scale. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed a bidirectional relationship between an accepting parenting style and a virtuous intellectual character, as well as a unidirectional effect of parental challenge, which was identified as a predictor of a virtuous intellectual character. Parents who adopt a positive parenting style are likely to promote a virtuous intellectual character among adolescents, thus making the latter more curious, autonomous in terms of their thinking, attentive in their learning, detail-oriented in their studies, and open-minded with respect to others’ perspectives. Moreover, dysfunctional parenting styles, such as pathological control and extreme autonomy, decrease open-mindedness among adolescents. These results reflect the important role that parents play in the development of intellectual virtues among adolescents.