The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Authority and Innovative Behavior in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Social Support and Perspective Taking

Abstract

Parents and teachers are significant authority figures that substantially impact adolescents' psychological and cognitive development, including their creativity. The current study investigated the relationship between adolescents' attitudes toward authority (parents and teachers) and innovative behavior and examined the mediating effects of social support and perspective taking. According to attachment theory, adolescents' attitudes toward authority may derive from early interaction with primary caregivers, primarily parents. Individuals internalize these interaction experiences and form internal working models, which will be applied in later life stages when interacting with authority figures. These early life experiences also influence individuals' sense of support and empathy abilities. Through analyzing a sample comprising 1,498 adolescents from Taiwan, this study unveils a significant association between adolescents' perceptions of authority and their proclivity for innovative conduct, as well as their levels of social support and capacity for perspective taking. Employing structural equation modeling (SEM), the empirical findings accentuate the mediating role of social support and perspective taking in delineating the nexus between adolescents' attitude toward authority and their manifestation of innovative behavior. The results revealed that adolescents with positive attitudes toward authority are likely to sense support, stand from other viewpoints, and further benefit creativity.