Voices that speak about authority

Abstract

This article is one of the products of the research entitled “Characterization of the Families of the Students of the Year 2013 from the High School of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana-Medellín and Marinilla Headquarters”, conducted by the research group “DOMUS of the Institute of Marriage and Family”2. A mixed methodology was used by integrating the application of a self-applied survey by one or more members of the family and reflective workshops to explore experiences, feelings, and perceptions of both parents and children facing different processes of family dynamics.

This article aims to give an account of the questions referring to the authority as a family process which allows the organization and regulation of the system. To do this, data from the survey is used and then an emphasis is made on the information collected in the reflective workshops. According to the survey, which was answered mainly by mothers, in 69% of the families it is them and the fathers who appear as leading figures of authority and in 86% of them a respectful, participatory style of authority is identified. Punishment is still considered and used as a regulatory mechanism, not the refrain that is generated by the parents and considered useless by the children. The role granted to the family and the school as training environments that require a clear and consistent authority is also highlighted.