Goal pursuit in young adulthood: The role of personality and motivation in goal appraisal trajectories across 6 years

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine changes in the appraisals of personal goals during young adulthood, and to investigate personality and motivation as predictors of goal appraisals. Israeli young adults (N = 284, 46% female) were assessed four times during ages 23–29 and reported on their goal appraisals (goal investment, goal momentum and goal stress), personality (efficacy and self-criticism) and motivation (autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, amotivation). The results showed mean stability for goal investment and momentum, whereas goal stress declined. Efficacy predicted higher goal investment and momentum 6 years later, while self-criticism accounted for individual differences in goal stress. Autonomous motivation predicted higher goal investment and momentum, while amotivation related to higher goal stress.     

Career goal-related social ties during two educational transitions: Antecedents and consequences

This study examined adolescents’ career goal-related social ties during the transition from compulsory to post-compulsory education and during transition from post-compulsory education to working-life or further studies. A total of 687 Finnish adolescents aged 15–16 were surveyed of whom 654 also participated at the second measurement point one year later, and 497 three years later. Differences in career goal-related social ties were found according to gender, GPA, family structure, and SES. Moreover, social ties were associated with educational track after compulsory school above and beyond SES, GPA, and family structure. Adolescents who named a teacher or a romantic partner were more likely to enter vocational track, while adolescents who named their father were more likely to enter academic track.     

Opposites detract: Middle school peer group antipathies

This study examines variability in patterns of peer group antipathy. Same-grade adolescent peer groups were identified from sociometric nominations of preferred affiliates in a community sample of 600 Finnish ninth-grade middle school students (mean age = 15.0 years). Hierarchical linear modeling determined characteristics of youths in actor groups (nominators) that predicted antipathy for youths in target groups (nominatees) on the basis of target group characteristics. Most antipathies were based on dissimilarity between groups representing the mainstream culture and groups opposed to it. The higher a peer group’s school burnout, the more its members disliked students in peer groups with higher school grades and students in peer groups with higher sports participation. Conversely, the higher a peer group’s school grades, the more its members disliked students in peer groups with higher school burnout. Students in peer groups with less problem behavior disliked students in peer groups with more problem behavior. There was some evidence of rivalry within the mainstream culture: The higher a group’s school grades, the more its members disliked groups whose members participated in sports.     

Parents' role in adolescents' decision on a college major: A weekly diary study

This study examined 39 adolescents during their transition to university. In standardized weekly diaries over several weeks (M = 8.13) adolescents reported on engagement in career exploration (in-breadth and in-depth self and environmental exploration), their parents' transition-related involvement (frequency of conversations, support, and interference), and their satisfaction with how the transition progressed. The results showed that exploration largely fluctuated across weeks, whereas parent involvement was more stable. Family members' engagement varied according to the phase of the application process the adolescent was involved in. The more adolescents explored during a given week, the more they talked to their parents, and the more supportive parents were. Associations between interference and exploration differed by type of exploration. Both exploration and support contributed to higher satisfaction.     

Upper‐Body Strength and Political Egalitarianism: Twelve Conceptual Replications

Animal models of conflict behavior predict that an organism's behavior in a conflict situation is influenced by physical characteristics related to abilities to impose costs on adversaries. Stronger and larger organisms should be more motivated to seek larger shares of resources and higher places in hierarchies. Previous studies of human males have suggested that measures of upper‐body strength are associated with measures of support for inequality including Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), a measure of individual differences in support for group‐based hierarchies. However, other studies have failed to replicate this association. In this article, we reexamine the link between upper‐body strength and support for inequality using 12 different samples from multiple countries in which relevant measures were available. These samples include student and locally representative samples with direct measures of physical strength and nationally representative samples with self‐reported measures related to muscularity. While the predicted correlation does not replicate for every single available measure of support for inequality, the overall data pattern strongly suggests that for males, but not females, upper‐body strength correlates positively with support for inequality.     

The unique effects of blatant dehumanization on attitudes and behavior towards Muslim refugees during the European ‘refugee crisis’ across four countries

Blatant dehumanization has recently been demonstrated to predict negative outgroup attitudes and behaviors. Here, we examined blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees during the ‘Refugee Crisis’ among large samples in four European countries: the Czech Republic (N = 1307), Hungary (N = 502), Spain (N = 1049), and Greece (N = 934). Our results suggest that blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees is (a) prevalent among Europeans, and (b) uniquely associated with anti‐refugee attitudes and behavior, beyond political ideology, prejudice, and—of particular relevance to the refugee crisis—empathy. We also find that blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees is significantly higher and more strongly associated with intergroup behavior in the Eastern European countries (especially the Czech Republic) than in Spain and Greece. Examining a range of outgroup targets beyond refugees, our results further illustrate that blatant dehumanization is not purely an ethnocentric bias: while individuals across contexts feel warmer towards their group than all others, they rate several high‐status outgroups as equally or more fully ‘evolved and civilized’ than the ingroup. Our research extends theoretical understanding of blatant dehumanization, and suggests that blatant dehumanization plays an important and independent role in the rejection of Muslim refugees throughout Europe.     

Life events,predisposing cognitive strategies and well‐being

To investigate the extent to which the cognitive strategies people apply in various situations, and their subjective well‐being, predispose them to certain life events, 210 students filled in questionnaires measuring their strategy use, self‐esteem, and depression at the beginning of their studies. Self‐esteem and depression were also measured four and five years later. The participants also filled in a life‐event questionnaire yearly between the first and last measurements. Four groups were identified based on the patterns of positive and negative life events. Moreover, the cognitive strategies young adults reported at the beginning of their studies, and their well‐being, were found to predict group membership. Those who had experienced many positive and only few negative life events showed high well‐being and adaptive strategies, whereas those who had faced many negative but only few positive events reported low well‐being and self‐protective strategies. Groups that experienced many positive and many negative, or only few positive and few negative events, were in between these two extremes. Life event patterning was also found to influence later well‐being. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-esteem during university studies predicts career characteristics 10 years later

To examine how self-esteem measured during university studies would impact on the characteristics of the work career 10 years later, 297 university students completed the Rosenberg’s self-esteem inventory four times while at university and various career-related questionnaires 10 years later. Latent Growth Curve Modeling showed that a high overall level of self-esteem predicted being in permanent employment 10 years later, having a high salary, and reporting a high level of work engagement, and job satisfaction, and a low level of burnout. By contrast, low self-esteem predicted unemployment, feelings of exhaustion, cynicism and reduced accomplishment at work, and low levels of work engagement and job satisfaction.