Family

and How it affects PSA Development

Although in many cases it has been found that a person's genetic makeup can predispose them to PSA, the way their family interacts with them can aid in the development of this PSA. Families who encourage their children to be open with their feelings and to be creative are less likely to develop higher trait PSA levels.This is because if a child is encouraged to speak up, they are less likely to develop feelings of self consciousness about their feelings and viewpoints because they are more likely to be respected. This kind of communication is called conversation-orientation.  On the other end of the spectrum, a child who comes from a family that encourages them to not deviate from their role as the obedient child to the authoritarian parent, are more likely to develop high levels of trait PSA.This is because these children are encouraged to fit their parents ideal of what a child should be and the child's feelings and viewpoints are suppressed if they differ from the parents'. This can make them feel as if they opinions and viewpoints are not worth sharing and decrease the child's self esteem. This kind of family communication is called conformity-oriented communication. This kind of communication prompts the development of anxiety in individuals. Below is a video that does a good job of showing the differences between conversation and conformity-orientated communication. The examples are done in sets. The first example in the sets are examples of conformity-orientation communication. The second examples in the sets are examples of conversation-orientation communication.

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