Relationships between Rate of Physical Maturing and Personality among Boys of Italian Descent

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Abstract
This paper describes a study of the effects of different rates of physical development on the personality structures of Italian and Italian-American boys. It has previously been shown that physically accelerated American adolescent boys tend to be more self-confident and independent - and less rebellious toward parents - than their slow-maturing peers. Unlike the American boys studied earlier, Italian early-maturing boys do not have more positive self-concepts, but, like the former, feel warm and affectionate toward their parents. The Italian-American early-maturers resemble American early-maturers in self-confidence, but they are rebellious and view their parents as restrictive, controlling, and lacking nurturance. These negative attitudes may be the result of their exposure to conflicting cultural values: those of the general American milieu and, at home, the parents'' traditional Italian mores.

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