Time perspective of adolescents with deviant behavior: peculiarities and relation to tolerance for ambiguity and self-esteem

The aim of the authors was to study the influence of self-esteem and such construct as tolerance for ambiguity on time perspective of adolescents with deviant behavior, and also to identify the differences in the structure of time perspective and tolerance for ambiguity between adolescents with deviant behavior and adolescents with normative behavior. Several sample groups of “deviant” adolescents participated in the research: pupils of two special schools for adolescents with deviant behavior and pupils of a general education school whose behavior was characterized as deviant for several criteria. The comparative sample group consisted of pupils of general education schools and pupils of schools with a selection of children of good academic abilities and a high learning motivation. As a result the authors described different constructs of “deviant” and “normative” time perspective, identified different structures of tolerance for ambiguity and different strategies of adaption to negative events among “deviant” and “adaptive” adolescents.

1. Levin K. Teoriya polya v social'nyh naukah. SPb, 2000.
2. Obshaya psihodiagnostika / Pod red. A.A. Bodaleva, V.V. Stolina. M., 1988.
3. Ovchinnikova Yu.G. Krizis lichnostnoi identichnosti kak situaciya neopredelennosti // Chelovek v situacii neopredelennosti / Pod red. A.K.Bolotovoi. M., 2007.
4. Syrcova A., Sokolova E.T., Mitina O.V. Adaptaciya oprosnika vremennoi perspektivy lichnosti F. Zimbardo // Psihologicheskii zhurnal. 2008. T. 29. №3.
5. Shalaev N.V. Adaptaciya metodiki issledovaniya tolerantnosti k neopredelennosti (krosskul'turnoe issledovanie): Diplomnaya rabota (na pravah rukopisi). M., 2004.
6. Barndt R., Johnson D. Time orientation in delinquents //Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 1955. Vol. 51.
7. Boniwell I., Zimbardo P.G. Balancing one’s time perspective in pursuit of optimal functioning //P.A.Linley, S.Joseph (Eds.). Positive Psychology in Practice (Ch. 10). Hoboken, NJ, 2004.
8. Boyd J.N., Zimbardo P.G. Time perspective, health, and risk taking // A. Strathman, J. Joireman (Eds.). Understanding Behavior in the Context of Time. Mahwah, Erlbaum, 2005.
9. Epel E., Bandura A., Zimbardo P.G. Escaping homelessness: the influences of self-efficacy, and time perspective on coping with homelessness //Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 1999. Vol. 29.
10. Holman E.A., Zimbardo P.G. The Social Language of Time: Time Perspective and Social Relationships. N.Y., 2003.
11. Hutton H.H., Lyketsos C.G., Hunt W.R., Bendit G., Harrison R.B., Swetz A., Treisman G.J. Personality Characteristics and Their Relationships to HIV Risk Behaviors Among Women Prisoners. N.Y., 1999.
12. Keough K.A., Zimbardo P.G. Who’s smoking, drinking and using drugs? Time perspective as a predictor of substance use //Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 1999. Vol. 21. №2.
13. Stein K., Sarbin T., Kulik J. Future time perspective: Its relation to the socialization process and the delinquent role //Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1968. Vol.32.
14. Zimbardo P.G., Boyd J.N. Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric //Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1999. Vol. 77.