A Russian Study on the Influence of Psychological Separation on Young People from Single Parent Families

Researchers at the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education found that psychological dissociation (independence and separation from parents) affects the setting and achievement of life goals for young men and women in single-parent families. The research could help develop psychological assistance programs for young people, enabling them to build trusting relationships with loved ones, take responsibility for their lives, and achieve their goals. The study is in the journal Psychology and Psychological Technology.

Separation is a natural stage of growth. Young people break away from their family of origin and establish an equal partnership with their parents. This is an important and necessary stage in the formation of personality.

Successful separation is thought to be the emotional escape of young men and women from the approval and support of their families, as well as the establishment of a new comfortable relationship with their parents, who no longer try to restrain, manipulate or impose their views, said Litvinova, associate professor in the Department of extreme Psychology at the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. Young people should establish and maintain a relationship of mutual trust with their parents and accept each other's opinions and decisions while maintaining the integrity of their own personality.

The researchers analyzed how different types of mental dissociation affect the ability to set goals. They found that the process of functional separation between young men and their fathers can complicate the development of independence, which is necessary to achieve goals. For young girls, the autonomy of target choice is complicated by the incomplete separation from the paternal function. As long as they are financially dependent on adults, it is difficult for them to set goals and make free choices in their studies, personal and professional lives.

As scientists have pointed out, the value goals that young men in single-parent families pursue more are self-realization and freedom, which can be realized through strong will and efficiency. The value goals of young women, on the other hand, tend to be personal life and health, through good parenting and honesty. At the same time, for young women to live sufficiently fulfilling and happy lives, it is important for them to be emotionally and functionally separate from their mothers, that is, independent of their parents' approval and financial support.

(Source of this column: Sputnik News Agency of Russia: Dong Yingbi, our correspondent in Russia)