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theses

Recent decades have seen an influx of baalei teshuva in the Orthodox Jewish community; individuals who were Jewish and not raised religious, but chose to become religious on their own. Limited existing research indicates poor levels of family cohesion and parental warmth, increased behavioral problems amongst children, and increased parental anxiety around parenting in baalei teshuva families. Anecdotal reports by mental health professionals raise concern that baalei teshuva display an authoritarian parenting style which appears to result in children reactively discarding their parents’ religious values. Religious identity development theory indicates that an authoritarian parenting style impedes the autonomous process critical to religious identity development, which may present concern for baalei teshuva parents; however, scant research exists to confirm the veracity of this theory in this population. This study is critical in evaluating parenting style as perceived by adult children of baalei teshuva and its subsequent influence on religious value transmission. An online survey was completed by individuals who acknowledged being raised religious within the Orthodox Jewish community (N=143; male = 25, female = 118). Measures included the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and questions on areas of religious conflict with parents. Chi square analysis indicated significantly higher levels of perceived authoritarian parenting by children of baalei teshuva. Fathers’ baal teshuva status, unlike mothers’, is correlated with increased areas of conflict between parent and child. However, mothers’ authoritarian parenting style, unlike fathers’, significantly predicted religious change. Study findings substantiate previous anecdotal evidence and raise concern for the emotional health and religious value transmission in the baal teshuva family. Study findings were limited by low male response rates, and further research must overcome cultural impediments to male access of internet-based research. Given the significance of these findings, implications for the baal teshuva parent, mental health professionals, and the greater Jewish community are vast. Utilization of the results should guide implementation of future interventions at the organizational, community, and individual levels.

ETD_6451

Psy.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Tova Lane

doi:10.7282/T3KS6TB0

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.