Practice What You Preach? Exploring Parental Attitudes Toward, Modeling of, and Teaching About Lying

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/ycswp
• Publication Date: 2024-06-14T13:58:02Z
• Authors: Ines Constance Lu...; Emma Charlotte An...; Nicole Lucassen; Bruno Bocanegra; Jennifer Clegg; Katherine Rice Wa...; Joyce Weeland; Rianne Kok
• Keywords: Lying

Objective. A growing number of studies demonstrate that most parents lie to their children. Paradoxically, also disapprove lying children and teach them is unacceptable, suggesting discrepancies between parental attitudes toward children, modeling behavior, teaching about lying. This study presents the first empirical investigation into alignment attitudes, modeling, across three types: other-oriented, self-oriented, instrumental lies. Design. Cross-sectional data were gathered from Dutch (N = 312, 79.8% mothers) via an online questionnaire. Correlational analyses performed explore between-parent associations toward, of, self-oriented Moreover, Latent Profile Analyses how cluster together within individual parents. Results. The findings regarding suggest a general teaching, varied in strength different types However, within-parent reveal discrepant teaching. prevalences patterns alignment, as well differed per type lie. Conclusion. Many show These indicate these do not practice what they believe or preach. only sheds new light on existing literature but proposes novel hypotheses potential mechanisms underlying discrepancies, such stress, hierarchical dynamics, societal norms.