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Kevin Yu Z.
ENGL 133
Peters, Jason J.
3/8/2017

What is really the factor that causes the conflict between parents and children? People

study and analyze them for a long time. Some of them might say that conflict between family

was either the parents or the childrens fault. This is not about the conflict due to immaturity; it

usually occurs during parents middle ages and childrens adolescent period, which could relate

to most families. When either one generation lived in a turbulence era, it might tend to have more

collisions with the others. Interparental conflicts are caused not by individual flaws but a rapid

culture change from last generation to the next.

Conflict happens to many families, which one thing were in common. A concept called

cultural gap was commonly used to relate to this very particular issue. Well known American

socialist, Kinsley Davis, said in his book, The Sociology of Parent-Youth Conflict:

Extremely rapid change in modern civilization, in contrast to most societies,

tends to increase parent-youth conflict, for within a fast changing social order the

time-interval between generations, ordinarily but a mere moment in the life of a

social system, become historically significant, thereby creating a hiatus between

one generation and the next (Davis 523).

The reason parents and children would have conflict is because of the lack of communication or

miscommunication. This is not ethnic nor regional. It in fact happened though out the world in

history, when theres a rapid social change. This would no longer cause by individual factors, but
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is a common issue. The majority had experienced the conflict; however, some havent. So, there

must be something big happening intergeneration for certain groups. Since parents are having a

different set of ideology than their children are having, communication would be ten time harder.

Conflict would arise at any moment then.

The problem can be very serious. The whole country would be affect. As we commonly

known, the World War II had influenced many countries. Political civil rights and anti-war

movements happened a few decades after WWII in Germany. The major problem was the issue

of treating WWII veterans and modifying modern education. According to the article, Nazi

Education, Nazi Germany developed a special set of educational system for war children, so that

the next generation can one day serve the army. Under the system, children were shaped to be

loyal following Hitler. It makes sense for the earlier generation to believe it, and holding on to

certain political views even after the war. Even within individual family during anti-war

movement, Germany 1960s, the views create tension between parents who believe in war-

beneficial and children who believe in anti-war. We can picture a young adult determined to join

the movement regardless of their parents warning. Tension continues until the end of 1970s.

This kind of rapid change in politics and living environment precipitate the conflicts.

The differences between the two generation change the outcome of people intended to

have. Parents they mostly have the same goal, which is to have their own children be happy

(StrengthsMining). This include being able to enjoy the world as they succeed in life. Children

being outstanding is not always the case. Since the parents care so much about the kids, they tend

to use their old way to doing, pushing the children harder in many of the aspects. And thats

when conflicts occur. Things go hard when come to educating kids. Many parents dont know
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where to start to approach their children. The hesitation here and there might cause a huge

separation between both. Under conclusion of the journal article Aging Parents and Adult

Children, it said, Several areas of research have been studied by too many investigators for too

many years. There should be no doubt by now about whether older people are alienated from

their families (Mancini and Blieszner 287). Since the older parents usually are the ones cant

keep up the pace of the world, they slowly feel like losing value from the families or the society.

A fourth gap is that the interpersonal, social-psychological aspects of these relationships have

not been adequately connected with the social and societal context in which they function

(Mancini and Blieszner 287). For those families with a huge culture gap between generation, the

parents would be very helpless. Because of the gap, the parents would understand what their

children had to said. Parents just dont get why their children are so resist to the doctrine they

believe is right. Parents have their old practice that lead to success, where the kids used their own

way to interpret parents intention.

Time created another brand-new world for the younger generation. Kids adopt thing fast,

whether their parents think its right or not. Especially for teenagers, they tend to experience new

ideas or things. The stages significantly influence personality development, with five of them

occurring during infancy, childhood, and adolescence (Personality development). Adolescent

period is the time for ones to really identify themselves. Sometimes, they might be confused;

sometimes they would take a stand and strongly defend it. Thats when they will argue with their

parents for they belief. The generation gap, again, causes tension between two somewhat

different world views. Under many circumstances, youth are being very idealized, partly

because they take working ideals literally (Davis 527). Using their optimistic mindset,
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Children tried to change their parents old fashion way of living. For certain children, they dont

understand why parents call them stubborn when the parents are the ones really being stubborn.

Children might just shut their mouth and ear, completely cut off the relation with parents. The

world views they have is not yet mature but real to them. The nature of adolescent masked

culture gap worse.

People react differently, according to their prior experiences, without realizing why. In

2014, a major movement took place in Hong Kong, the special administrative regions of China.

The Occupation Movement, also known as Umbrella Revolution, was remarkable (Wikipedia). It

reminded all Chinese how people still separated under the policy of One Country, Two

Systems, a policy keep Hong Kong citizens under the Constitution of China but can develop

other regulation. During the occupation, anger raised between people even within the community

of Hong Kong. In some households, the last generation still drowning in the dread of Chinese

Cultural Revolution and Democracy Movement of China, 1970s to 1980s. Chinese describe

Chinese Culture Revolution as ten years of turbulence under the ruler ship of Chairman Mao.

People set up public criticization and struggle session. Many democrats, capitalist roader,

intellectuals and other disloyalties were torture and died. Most Chinese dont even want to think

of it or refer to that time. This was the main reason most parents wont let their children

participate in the movements. More extremely the parents will disinherit their children because

of that, hoping their children would listen. But the history seems always repeat itself.

Like political views, living environment would also influence differently for different age

people, which could be called Acculturation. Acculturation differences may be associated with

more intense conflict because different levels of acculturation may signify less proficiency in
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English on the part of parents and less proficiency in Chinese on the part of children (Costigan

and Dokis). The research paper, Relations Between Parent-Child Acculturation Differences and

Adjustment Within Immigrant Chinese Families, explained a huge part of barrier between parents

and children is language, whether of the origin or meaning. Regardless of the Chinese parents

who dont speak English, even they do, they are still not on the same page. Time created a gap,

making it hard to hold a closed relationship. Both parents and children entered an endless loop

that blaming each other for tiny problems. Conflict grow bigger and bigger as we will predict.

Unfortunately, there isnt a definite solution for parental conflicts. But people can fix it

by doing their parts. Since we know there is existence of love between parents and children

during the fights, thing can be better when compromised. If ones can truly understand the

others behavior why did they act or react a certain way, they can have a more meaningful, less

aggressive communication. A good communication can eliminate any misunderstandings. When

the world truly understand the cause of the conflicts, fixing it is not hard.

Work cited:
Mancini, Jay A., and Rosemary Blieszner. "Aging Parents and Adult Children: Research Themes
in Intergenerational Relations." Journal of Marriage and the Family 51.2 (1989): 275. Web. 28
Feb. 2016.
Davis, Kingsley. "The Sociology of Parent-Youth Conflict." American Sociological Review 5.4
(1940): 523. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
"What Parents Really Want for Their Children." StrengthsMining. Ed. Shaunigan. WordPress, 24
July 2015. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
Sly. "Personality Development." Encyclopedia of Children's Health. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 08
Mar. 2017.
Trueman, C. N. "Nazi Education." History Learning Site. The History Learning Site, 16 Aug.
2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
Costigan, Catherine L., and Daphn P. Dokis. "Relations Between Parent?Child Acculturation
Differences and Adjustment Within Immigrant Chinese Families." Child Development 77.5
(2006): 1252-267. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
"Cultural Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
"2014 Hong Kong Protests." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 Mar.
2017.
"Chinese Democracy Movement." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 08
Mar. 2017.

Peer Review 1 Fernando Guan

1.) He has chosen to write 1, an argument for an audience that agrees with him. I could
tell this because from the start he is stating his opinion and is not stating the opposite
of what the audience might think if they were against him.
2.) The issue is issue of parents-children conflict due to a rapid intergeneration change.
He shows that he has prior knowledge on the subject at hand. Usually adolescence
and their parents have this issue. He uses pathos to try to connect the audience to
their adolescent years where they might have had arguments with their parents. As
well as ethos and logos with the references that he will provide later.
3.) He is saying these parent-children issue does not happen because of individual
factors, but from something intergenerational. They hold this position because most
people have experienced the conflict, but some havent. I think maybe this should
have something with more evidence behind it to take this stance.
4.) At this point of this paper, he does not provide any sources.
5.) He starts off a paragraph with a question that might be said by someone with an
opposite view, and then writes the rest of the paragraph about how it is wrong.

Peer review 2 Antoine Noel

1.) His audience could agree or disagree with him I think. And he knows it because I said
that some people think that and others thinks another way.
2.) His issue is the conflict between parents and children causes by an evolution of the
mentality. The most of the families are affected by this problem. He uses some pathos
and logos with some general ideas.
3.) He thinks that the conflict is not caused by the evolution of the mentality. Strength:
good introduction. Weakness: No quotations, Only arguments for his thesis, Weak
arguments without support.
4.) Nothing only his own opinion
5.) Thesis then arguments