The study of young people' s heroes and heroines is seen as a powerful way to explore the socio-cultural factors that shape the self. One hundred and eleven girls and 113 boys from an English comprehensive school, aged 11± 16 years (m ean 5 13.2, SD 5 1.41) provided responses to questionnaire items designed to allow them to express freely their ideals and most adm ired adults. Following content analysis, the results were presented according to dominant responses and underlying values, with separate analyses for age and gender. M ost of the young people were happy to be themselves and whilst they were able to identify a hero that person did not necessarily represent their ideal self. H eroes were primarily drawn from the sporting world and the media. The results are discussed in terms of personal identity development during adolescence.
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Brief biography of authors.Ava Horowitz and Rachel Bromnick are both senior lecturers in Psychology at the University of Lincoln, UK.Ava Horowitz teaches discursive psychology, social psychology and research methods. Her main research interest is in the discursive construction of social identities and relationships.
Traditional research into values has tended to dichotomise young people into categories of self and other orientations. In the present study values were explored within a contemporary context and analysed into more complex value sets. The sample comprised of 111 girls and 133 boys, aged 11-16 (mean 5 13.2, SD 5 1.14), who responded to four open-ended sentences designed to tap philosophies of life, fears and underlying values. The pleasures in life for girls tended to centre on relationships with family, friends and boys, whereas boys enjoyed activities such as sport. Many desired to win the National Lottery, although they also concurrently held humanistic values. The potential impact of these value sets on development during adolescence is discussed. For these young people, the best things in life are free but, like many adults, they dream of fame and fortune.
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