Abstract
Research shows that hostility may lead to deleterious consequences for health, anger, aggressive behavior, and interpersonal relationships. This study investigated the relation of parents' hostility levels to both the self-esteem (SE) of college-aged participants and the adolescents' phenomenological assessments of parental authority. The 199 college students for this study came from two-parent families. Participants completed four questionnaires: (1) a mothers' authority questionnaire, (2) a fathers' authority questionnaire, (3) a SE scale; and (4) a demographic information sheet. Each parent filled out the Cook and Medley Hostility Scale. When comparing fathers' and mothers' hostility, paternal hostility more strongly predicted patterns of authority exercised in the home (both authoritarianism and authoritativeness), and adolescent self-esteem. The psychological disposition of hostility appears to affect the overt behavioral and emotional expressions of men more than of women -- hostile fathers seem more apt to interact with their children in abrupt, demanding, and controlling ways. The findings suggest that the behavioral and emotional consequences of hostility are different for men and women, which agrees with previous studies. Included are three tables which summarize the statistical findings. Contains 23 references. (RJM)