On thin ice: understanding parental psychological control in Turkish and Pakistani individuals: mediating role of needs satisfaction across cultures

Autonomy-thwarting practices may entail a wide range of practices from declaring an ultimatum to guilt elicitation—a nuanced distinction that merits attention. Employing a between-subject design via three vignettes, the present study examined to what extent these two aspects of control attempts differ in facilitating psychological and behavioral outcomes in Turkish (N = 454) and Pakistani (N = 149) young adults. Reactance and cultural orientations were tested as potential moderators. Parental autonomy support correlated with positive psychological outcomes, while parental control was linked to sub-optimal outcomes due to reduced needs satisfaction and perceived legitimacy. Turkish participants expressed significantly higher defiance intentions under both types of psychological control. Pakistani participants exhibited greater defiance intentions under external control compared to autonomy condition, and their independence scores moderated defiance intentions under external control. Among Turkish adults, higher independence was associated with decreased levels of compliance under both types of parental control. In line with the Self Determination Theory, these findings highlight the universally growth-promoting role of autonomy support and the mediating role of needs satisfaction. Simultaneously, they uncover subtle differences in young adults’ behavioral responses to psychological control despite the adverse effects of control, transcending cultural and individual differences.