Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
12-13-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Psychology
Advisor(s)
Monica Reis-Bergan
Kevin Apple
Claire Lyons
Abstract
Self-determination theory encompasses three different elements, competence, autonomy and social belongingness (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Helicopter parenting is defined as extreme involvement in a child’s life to the point of making decisions for them while also being associated with high levels of parental support and high feelings of parental-child closeness (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Research has shown that helicopter parenting has been associated with psychological and behavioral problems in young adults, (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014). The current study investigated the association between perceived helicopter parenting and self-determination theory components along with intrinsic motivation and academic and extracurricular engagement in college students. Helicopter parenting and self-determination variables were found to be inversely related, such that high perceived helicopter parenting correlated with low scores for self-determination variables. This study provides key insight into perceived helicopter parenting and the possible maladaptive associations for emerging adults and the responsibilities that come with adulthood.
Recommended Citation
Hivick, Emily, "Perceived helicopter parenting and self-determination theory in emerging adulthood" (2019). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 741.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/741
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