Adolescents' Opposite-Sex Ideal in Four Countries

Abstract

Six hundred young adolescents (11 to 16 years old) from 4 countries (Guatemala, Iceland, Mexico, and the United States) ranked the importance of 10 qualities of the opposite-sex ideal person. Those from the United States responded in an individualistic fashion; they ranked being fun, being sexy, and having considerable money as important for the ideal. Those from Guatemala responded in a collectivistic fashion; they ranked liking children as important, but being fun and good looking as unimportant. Adolescents from Mexico and Iceland reported patterns of values not clearly associated with either collectivism or individualism.

Contributions of Music Video Exposure to Black Adolescents’ Gender and Sexual Schemas

“…The final gender measure examined students' feminine and masculine ideals. Drawing from the literature in this area (Gibbons et al, 1996;Stiles et al 1990), we created two measures that asked students to rate the importance, for each sex, of possessing eight specific attributes. For each measure, participants were asked, "How important do you think it is for a man (woman) to have each of the following qualities?"…”

“…First, findings indicate that many of the traits perceived as desirable by American teens focus on aspects of appearance and social status, two features heavily emphasized by music videos. For example, cross-national studies examining teens' opposite-sex ideals found that being sexy, having good looks, having lots of money, and being fun were qualities perceived as most important by American teens (Gibbons, Richter, Wiley, & Stiles, 1996;Stiles, Gibbons, & Schnellmann, 1990). This was not the case for adolescents of other countries, for whom liking children, intelligence, and kindness and honesty dominated as ideals.…”

“Did You See What I Saw?” Gender Differences in Perceptions of Avenues to Prestige among Adolescents

“…appearance, and sociability (cf. Adler, Kless, and Adler 1992;Canaan 1990;Eckert 1989;Eder 1985;Eder and Parker 1987;Eicher, Baizerman, and Michelman 1991;Foley 1990;Gibbons et al 1996;Jarvinen and Nicholls 1996;Kane 1988;Kennedy 1995;Kinney 1993;Landsheer et al 1998;Matteo 1986;Suitor and Carter 1999;Suitor and Reavis 1995;Williams and White 1983). Table 2 presents the reports of the mechanisms by which boys and girls gained prestige, separately by gender of the respondent.…”

The Development of Gratitude in Guatemalan Children and Adolescents

“…Moreover, they cited being spiritual (i.e., religious) and liking children as two central attributes of the ideal person (M. X. Flores Ramos, 2016; Gibbons & Stiles, 2004). A recent comparison of the ideals of urban Guatemalan adolescents with 25 years ago provides evidence that they have become more autonomous, valuing sexiness and fun (X.…”