Adolescent Girls Finding Purpose: The Role of Parents and Prosociality. Issue 6 (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liang, Belle; Lund, Terese; Mousseau, Angela; White, Allison E.; Spencer, Renée; Walsh, Jill
• Is Part Of: Youth & society. Volume 50:Issue 6(2018)
• Page Start: 801
• Page End: 817
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: parent support -- prosocial involvement -- adolescent girls -- youth purpose; Youth -- Periodicals; 305.235
• DOI: 10.1177/0044118X17697850
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-118X

Abstract

Scholars have differentiated other-oriented (OO) purpose (i.e., a personally meaningful life aim intended to contribute to the world beyond the self) and self-oriented (SO) purpose (i.e., a personally meaningful life aim without intention to contribute beyond the self). OO purpose is associated with adolescent thriving, yet little is known about how to cultivate it. In a study of 207 adolescent girls, we examined how positive parent–adolescent relationships may contribute to developing OO versus SO purpose; we also tested whether the association between parent–adolescent relationships and OO purpose was mediated by prosocial behavior.