Parent's Conversational Style Contributes to Child's Security
Posted: Nov. 8, 2006
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Parents who use a more elaborative conversational style with their children -- encouraging them to describe detailed memories about their past shared events and to talk about emotions -- contribute to the child's secure attachment, sense of self-worth, and eventual social competence.
The finding was part of a study conducted by U of I researcher Kelly Bost. She analyzed the conversational styles of 90 mothers and their three-year-old children.
The research confirmed that mothers of securely attached children use a more elaborative conversational style than those of insecure children. And a secure parent-child relationship Bost says provides a framework for future relationships with peers and romantic partners.
She says that parents should try to incorporate both elaboration and open talk about feelings and emotions into conversations with their children.
Bost says that through our conversations, we're helping our children organize their life experiences in their minds, understand them, and to be able to tell people about them.