PARENTAL AND PEER INFLUENCE ON CAREER DECISION MAKING SELF EFFICACY OF YOUTH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Attachment, either parental or peer, is an eternal affectional bond of substantial intensity, and becomes of prime importance in the physical and psychological development of adolescents. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship of parental and peer attachment bonds with career decision making self efficacy (CDMSE) and identity development (Id-Dev) among adolescents and post- adolescents. The study was carried out in three phases: Phase-I constituted of evaluation of the language used in the instruments, Phase-II was a pilot study in which pre-testing of the scales was carried out to assess psychometric properties of the scales used in the main study, and also to see applicability of the research design, Phase-III covered the main study accomplishment. A criterion was formulated to screen the desired sample and the participants in the age range of 17 to 25 years belonging to middle socioeconomic class were included in the study. It was ensured that only those participants were included whose both parents were alive and living together. Care was also taken to include those participants who were day scholars and not residing in hostel. Non-probability purposive sampling was used in the main study of the research and total sample collected was 550 adolescents and post- adolescents studying in different government colleges and universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad including both males (n = 300) and females (n = 250). All participants were asked to complete a separate demographic sheet so as to have a clear picture of their background. Scales used in study were Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-R (IPPA-R), Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (CDMSE-SF), and the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS-2). Correlations, t-test, regression analysis was conducted for testing hypotheses. Predictability of variables i.e. predicting level of CDMSE & Id-Dev in relation to parental and peer attachment bonds was also assessed. Findings of the study revealed that there was a positive relationship among the variables studied (i.e. CDMSE & parental and peer attachment bonds & Id-Dev and parental as well as peer attachment bonds). It highlighted that when more and more parental and peer attachment bonds are there, more will be CDMSE that also influences a healthy Id- Dev of the youngsters. The outcome of this result signify the contribution of both parents well as peers attachment bonds in predicting CDMSE of adolescents and post-adolescents, however parental attachment bonds are more powerful in prediction of CDMSE as compared to peers attachment bonds. Results of present study denote, both parents and peers attachment bonds play their role in prediction of Id-Dev among adolescents & post-adolescents yet peer attachment bonds more powerfully predict Id-Dev in comparison to parental attachment bonds. Findings of present study suggested that females were relatively more involved in maintaining interpersonal identity as compared to males. The results of the study suggest the further need for clarifying how the parental and peer attachment works in different family structures with variable socioeconomic background and covering different age groups of the sample