Social goals: relationship to adolescent adjustment and to social problem solving

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1993 Apr;21(2):135-51. doi: 10.1007/BF00911312.

Abstract

Examined the relations between adolescent boys' social goals of dominance, revenge, avoidance, and affiliation and (1) self-reported negative adolescent outcomes; (2) subjective sense of self-esteem; and (3) externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors, as rated by peers and teachers. Results indicated that social goal values were related to diverse aspects of self-, teacher-, and peer-reported social and behavioral functioning, with a consistent association found between a range of delinquent, substance-using, and behavioral difficulties, and endorsement of high goal values for dominance and revenge and low goal values for affiliation. Results also indicated that teacher-identified aggressive boys differed from nonaggressive boys in the value they placed on social goals, with aggressive boys placing a higher value on goals of dominance and revenge, and lower value on goals for affiliation. Finally social goal choice had a clear relation to the social problem-solving differences of aggressive and nonaggressive boys.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Aggression / psychology*
  • Defense Mechanisms
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Goals*
  • Humans
  • Internal-External Control
  • Juvenile Delinquency / psychology
  • Juvenile Delinquency / rehabilitation
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Personality Assessment
  • Problem Solving*
  • Runaway Behavior*
  • Social Adjustment*
  • Social Behavior
  • Socialization*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / psychology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / rehabilitation