The relationship between perceived parenting styles and personality development among young adults in Greece

Abstract

The concept of parental behavior varies with each geographical region, with culture being one of its biggest influencers. This study explored the relationship between the perceived parenting styles experienced of emerging adults in Greece as compared to the Ghanaian population and personality development, using the Big Five Inventory as the measure of the various dimensions of personality and the Perceived Parenting Style Scale (PPSS) to uncover the parenting styles each individual experienced across the dimensions of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting. It is also meant to shed light on the cultural differences and influences on these variables. A correlational study design was used to determine the correlation between the perceived parenting styles and personality development among a sample of 127 emerging adults across the Greek and the Ghanaian population. Findings suggested the permissive parenting style to be the most dominant in the Ghanaian culture during the emerging adulthood emphasizing its highest correlation with openness. Among the Greek population, the highest correlation was seen between the authoritarian parenting style and extraversion.