Impact of parent child relationship and values on vocational preference and quality of life at various

Relationships play a significant role in forming and maintaining individual

behaviors, attitudes and values. With the existence of many kinds of interpersonal

relationships organised around neighbourhoods, friendships, schools and workplaces,

familial relationships are most influential. Parent-child relationships are specifically

very significant because of their early beginnings in life as well as their intensity

across various phases of the life course (Thornton, Orbuch, & Axinn, 1995).

The Convention on Rights of the Child given by the United Nations defines

the child as "a person below the age of 18 unless the laws of a particular country set

the legal age for adulthood younger" (Beijing Rules: Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights, 1985). The legal definition of a child in India

follows from the UN Convention itself, referring any person under the age of 18 years

as a child.

Research literature talks about parent-offspring relationships at the beginning

of child's life or at the end of parents' life (Hagestad, 1987). But, parent-child

relationships are equally impactful when the child is moving from the 'dependent on

parents' stage to independent adulthood. In their study of parent-offspring

relationships during the transition to adulthood, Thornton et al. (1995) collected data

from first-, second- and fourth born-white "children" in the age range of 18-23 years.

They were referred to as children since the research study aimed to study the

relationship between the parent and offspring during transition. Even if the life span

brings about changes in living arrangements of the individuals, they are still perceived

in the domain of parent-child relationship and is considered to be a highly enduring

relationship during the life course (Ha, 2010).