Abstract

This study investigates how Korean children and adolescents perceive their parents using the indigenous psychological approach. An open-ended questionnaire was developed by the first two authors to investigate reasons why children and adolescents feel grateful, respect, indebted, close, conflict, and distance with their parents. A total of 763 participants (212 grade three students, 267 grade eight students, and 284 grade eleven students) completed the questionnaire. The results can be summarized into three main points. First, the vast majority of children and adolescents feel grateful, respect, and indebted to their parents. They feel grateful, respect and indebted for the sacrifice and suffering they experience looking after the family. Moreover, they respects their parents because of their sincerity, blood relationship, benevolence, guidance and educational support. They feel indebted since they did not obey them, were not able to meet their expectations, and were not diligent in their schoolwork. They felt especially close to their mother. The conflict they felt was due to generational gap and in their academic performance. Second, age affects how they perceive their parents. The parent-child conflict increases with age. The feeling of indebtedness also increase with age. However, the feeling of gratefulness and respects decreases with age. The feeling of closeness with father also decreases with age. Third, socio-economic status and educational achievement of children and adolescent affect the perception of their parents. Those with higher academic grade and socio-economic status are more likely to feel respect and indebtedness and less likely to feel conflict and distance.