The Role of the Uzbek Mother in Supporting Adolescent Girls and Boys During a Developmental Crisis

Adolescence is a serious period of development with the exploration of identity, emotional oscillation, and negotiation of social roles. Within the Uzbek cultural context, the family setup is a determining factor in the ways the adolescents will overcome this transitional crisis. This paper takes a look at the psychological and sociocultural meaning of the Uzbek mother in helping the girls and boys to make it through this sensitive age. Based on the developmental theories of Erik Erikson, John Bowlby, and Lev Vygotsky, the paper will utilize the theoretical analysis of qualitative aspects to explain maternal influence through the prism of collectivism. The results indicate that maternal emotional responsiveness, shared power, and culturally responsive direction have a significant impact in diminishing the severity of the adolescent crisis. The differences between genders were also noted regarding the manifestation of crisis, and in such a form as maternal support needed. Although maternal warmth with respectful autonomy proves to be better than maternal warmth alone as far as emotional regulation is concerned, girls gain more emotional support through emotional validation and identity reassurance than boys do. The paper concludes that the role of the Uzbek mother is not merely that of giving care but also that of a mediator between tradition and the creation of modern identity. Her part is to turn the crisis of development into a chance of growing psychologically.