Factors Related to Cultural Divergence in the Social Values among Two Generations of Families in Tehran

Cultural divergence is incongruity in the values, attitudes and behaviors among different generations of a society. Identifying factors related to cultural divergence in the social values ​​of parents and children is one of the most important issues in Iranian society, which has been investigated in the present research through a quantitative approach. The statistical population of the study comprised all families in Tehran whose members aged 15 to 60 years old. For the purpose of sampling, multistage cluster sampling method was used and 384 individuals (202 parents and 182 children) were selected. The instruments consisted of Social Values ​​Divergence Questionnaire (Schwartz, 2006), Mass Media Use Scale, Religiosity Questionnaire, Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire, and Parenting Styles Questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis. The results showed that mass media use, the improved socioeconomic status, and permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were positively associated with cultural divergence among parents and children, while religiosity and authoritative parenting style were negatively correlated with cultural divergence among parents and children. In addition, the results of multivariate regression analysis showed that about 44.5% of the variance in cultural divergence among parents and children could be explained by the predictor variables. Thus, it can be concluded that the ongoing expansion of the mass media, the improved parental socioeconomic status, and permissive and authoritarian parenting styles lead to profound cultural divergence across generations and, conversely, enhanced religiosity and authoritative parenting style can be associated with the possibility of diminishing cultural divergence.