Autonomy supportive fathers beget system-supporting children: The role of autonomy support on protesting behavior

• We examined the relationship between father autonomy support and engagement in political causes.
• We conducted two studies in Malaysia and in Canada with real-life causes.
• Father autonomy support was positively related to perception of the government.
• Father autonomy support was negatively related to protests against the government.

In this paper we examined the influence of father autonomy support on protesting behavior. Drawing from Relational Model Theory and Self-determination Theory, we hypothesized that individuals' perception and interactions with authority figures are shaped by their experiences with their fathers. When people experience their fathers as empathetic and caring, they are more likely to view other authority figures positively and make benevolent interpretations of their actions. We found support for our hypothesis in two studies conducted in Malaysia and Canada with self-reported engagement in political causes. As expected, perceived father autonomy support was related to positive perception of the government and less protesting against the government. Overall, the present paper provides evidence that children's internalized representations of their fathers are related to intentions and behaviors to change the social systems.