Competence, delinquency, and attempts to attain possible selves.

Abstract

The impact of impulsivity, possible selves, and social and communication skills on delinquent involvement in inner-city high school and incarcerated boys (aged 13-17, N = 230) was explored. Impulsivity, perceived attempts to attain possible selves, and balance in possible selves were hypothesized to directly influence delinquency. Social and communication skills were hypothesized to influence delinquency directly and indirectly through their effects on impulsivity, balance, and attempts to attain possible selves. These factors discriminated moderately well between high school and incarcerated youths. Impulsivity was an especially powerful predictor of self-reported delinquency among high school youths but not among incarcerated youths. The effect of other variables differed somewhat for different categories of delinquency (aggression, theft, hooliganism, and school truancy) and between subsamples, suggesting the importance of examining the subjective meaning of each of these behaviors for the individual in his social context.

Adolescent goal content and pursuit: A review of the literature from the past 16 years

“…A negative view of one's future may lead to greater involvement in problem behavior and a lack of positive goals may preclude the occurrence of positive outcomes. It is likely that these relationships are bidirectional and that they are influenced by other psychosocial variables such as impulsivity, social environment (Oyserman & Saltz, 1993), and sensation seeking (Newberry & Duncan, 2001). …”

“…Greater self-reported delinquent behavior is associated with greater negative possible future selves and fewer positive possible future selves (Newberry & Duncan, 2001). For example, delinquent boys report fewer balanced selves compared to non-delinquent boys (Oyserman & Saltz, 1993). This suggests that delinquent adolescents lack positive self-images or expectations to guide their behavior towards positive outcomes.…”

“…Involvement in delinquent activities may influence the way in which adolescents think about and pursue their goals. For example, non-delinquent boys report significantly greater attempts at achieving their goals compared to delinquent boys (Oyserman & Saltz, 1993). At-risk girls have been found to focus primarily on planning social goals while not at-risk girls also planned for educational goals (Carroll, 2002).…”

“…In contrast, not at-risk boys endorse greater educational and interpersonal goals (Carroll et al, 2001). Moreover, non-delinquent boys report more individuated selves such as being independent, finishing school and getting a job (Oyserman & Saltz, 1993). Noticeably, in a small case-study of five Australian incarcerated boys, no educational goals were mentioned (Carroll, 1995).…”

Goal‐setting and reputation enhancement: Behavioural choices among delinquent, at‐risk and not at‐risk adolescents

“…Adolescence is the peak period for engagement in delinquent activities (see Emler & Reicher, 1995;Oyserman & Saltz, 1993). During this phase of the lifespan, individuals make important choices and commitments with long-term consequences for their lives (Durkin, 1995;Nurmi, 1991;Oyserman & Markus, 1990).…”