Purpose and Character Development in Early Adolescence

Abstract

Character development in adolescence is of growing interest among psychology researchers and educators, yet there is little consensus about how character should be defined and studied among developmental scientists. In particular, there is no fully developed framework for investigating the developmental relationships among different character strengths. This study examines the developmental relations between purpose and three other key character strengths that emerge during early adolescence: gratitude, compassion, and grit. We analyzed survey (n = 1005, 50.1% female, 24.1% Caucasian, 43.6% African American, 18.9% Hispanic, 11.9% Asian American) and interview (n = 98) data from a longitudinal study of character development among middle school students from the United States. Data were collected over the course of 2 years, with surveys conducted four times at 6-month intervals and interviews conducted twice at 12-month intervals. Data analyses showed small but significant correlations between purpose and each of the other three character strengths under investigation. Interview data revealed patterns in ways that adolescents acted on their purposeful aspirations; and interview analyses identified qualitative differences in expressions of gratitude and compassion between adolescents who were fully purposeful and those who were not. The findings suggest that character development can be better understood by investigating the multidirectional developmental relationships among different character strengths.

Positive Risk Taking in Adolescence

“…As with other forms of risk taking, positive risk taking can help youth achieve developmental milestones such as autonomy and the acquisition of skills (Ellis et al, 2012;Spear, 2013). Positive risk taking may also create opportunities for youth to develop a sense of purpose (Malin, Liauw, & Damon, 2017) and identity (e.g., by standing up for one's beliefs), personal responsibility (e.g., by playing sports on a team), and social competence (e.g., by initiating friendships), as well as to set goals (e.g., by taking challenging courses). Over time, and combined with other positive influences, these may yield additional benefits such as school engagement and academic success (e.g., Wood et al, 2013), perseverance or grit (Duckworth & Gross, 2014), or positive socioemotional functioning (e.g., Crone & Dahl, 2012).…”

Accelerating Progress: A New Era of Research on Character Development

“…Using cross-sectional analyses, the authors found a small but significant relationship between purpose and the other three strengths of interest: gratitude, compassion, and grit. Like Froh et al (2010), who identified that gratitude may motivate students towards contributing to their communities, Malin et al (2017, in this special section) identified that "qualitative differences in gratitude and compassion between those with full purpose and those who are not yet realizing their purposeful aspirations" (p. 12).…”

“…Perhaps even more significant than their discussion of the relationship between character strengths, Malin et al (2017, in this special section) note, For most people during most of development, character is far from unitary. Feelings, thoughts, and actions related to virtues may be frequently misaligned; and the virtues (or "character strengths") themselves may develop at an uneven pace, with some maturing while others grow slowly or not at all.…”

“…Malin et al (2017, in this special section) directly address how purpose may relate to gratitude and compassion. The authors note that all three virtues are other-oriented, have empathy and sympathy as likely prerequisites, and result in prosocial behavior of some sort.…”

“…In addition to their call for a much-needed line of research that focuses on the study of the integration of character strengths, Malin et al (2017, in this special section) agree that further research is also needed on the specification of developmental trajectories and unique contributions of specific strengths. Unfortunately, the majority of studies on character development are relatively limited in either sample size and/or the number of waves of data collection.…”