This paper studies associations between internal representations that adolescents hold for their mothers and internal representations of the country they belong to, and the extent to which such internal representations impact on psychological adjustment. Two studies were conducted: the first with 328 Russian adolescents in Russia, and the second with 178 Jewish adolescent immigrants from Russia in Israel. In both samples, representations of the mother as caring were significantly related to the adolescents' positive attitudes towards their country of living. In addition, the adolescents' positive attitudes towards country of living were significantly related to their psychological adjustment, over and above internal representations of mother. Findings suggest the importance of theories of internal representations for understanding the dynamics of the adolescents' attachment to social objects and their psychological adjustment. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

internal representations of a country internal representations of mothers attachment to social objects Israel Russia psychological adjustment high-school adolescents

Russia male Emigrants and Immigrants female Socioeconomic Factors Humans socioeconomics Israel Mothers ethnology psychological aspect Article Russian Federation human mother migration attitude Adolescent