Emerging adult men and their mothers in divorced families: A typology of relationship patterns

Sixty four dyads of mothers and emerging adult sons (32 divorced families) were individually interviewed about their relationships and the relationship with the father. Results show that sons' relationships with their mothers can be classified into three relational types: the Idealized, the Balanced-Realistic, and the Critical. While the majority of nondivorced families belonged to the optimal Balanced-Realistic type, two thirds of the divorced families belonged to the two less optimal types. Belonging to an Idealized type was associated with devaluation of the father and lower autonomous functioning. In contrast, belonging to the Critical type was characterized by a balanced relationship with the father and a higher level of autonomy. Vignettes are presented to demonstrate the three relationship patterns.