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Goals during Adolescence and their Relationship with Antisocial Behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Laura López-Romero  and
Estrella Romero
Laura López-Romero*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Estrella Romero
Affiliation:
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Laura López-Romero. Departmento de Psicología Clínica y Psicobiología. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. Facultad de Psicología, Campus Sur. 15782 Santiago de Compostela. La Coruña (Spain). Phone: +34-981563100/13948/13921. Fax: +34-981528072. E-mail: laulpromero@gmail.com
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Abstract

In recent years, psychological research has emphasized the role of goals in adolescent development and, particularly, in the development of socially adapted lifestyles. Along those lines, the present study, analyzing data collected from a sample of 488 participants, explores: a) The structure of adolescent goals and their importance for young people, b) The relationship between adolescent goals and antisocial behavior and c) The role of gender in this relationship. The results show that adolescent goals are structured according to 6 factors: Social Recognition, Emancipation, Education, Physical-Athletic, Antisocial and Interpersonal-Familial. Educational and emancipative goals appear to be most important for young people. In addition, it has been found that there are significant correlations between certain types of goals and adolescent antisocial behavior, as well as significant gender differences. The data reflect the need to incorporate motivational dimensions into explanatory models of adolescent behavioral problems.

En los últimos años, la investigación ha enfatizado el papel que las metas desempeñan en el desarrollo adolescente y, particularmente, en el desarrollo de estilos de vida socialmente adaptados. Dentro del estudio de la conducta antisocial, cada vez se reclama una mayor atención a los aspectos motivacionales implicados en su génesis y mantenimiento. En esta línea, el presente estudio, partiendo de los datos recogidos en una muestra de 488 participantes, analizó: a) la estructura de las metas adolescentes y la importancia que los jóvenes conceden a distintos tipos de metas; b) la relación entre metas adolescentes y conducta antisocial; c) el papel del género en la relación metas-conducta antisocial. Los resultados muestran como las metas adolescentes presentan una estructura definida en 6 factores: Reconocimiento Social, Emancipativas, Educativas, Físico-Deportivas, Antisociales e Interpersonales-Familiares. Las metas educativas y las emancipativas aparecen como las más importantes para los jóvenes. Se constata la existencia de relaciones significativas entre determinados tipos de metas y la conducta antisocial adolescente, así como diferencias significativas en función del género. Los datos avalan la importancia de incorporar las dimensiones motivacionales dentro de los modelos explicativos de los problemas de conducta adolescente.

Keywords

adolescencegoalsantisocial behavioradolescenciametasconducta antisocial
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 166 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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