TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of best friends in educational identity formation in adolescence
AU - van Doeselaar, Lotte
AU - Meeus, Wim
AU - Koot, Hans M.
AU - Branje, Susan J. T.
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - This 4-year longitudinal study examined over-time associations between adolescents' educational identity, perceived best friends' balanced relatedness, and best friends' educational identity. Adolescents (N = 464, Mage = 14.0 years at baseline, 56.0% males, living in the Netherlands) and their self-nominated best friends reported on their educational commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration. Target adolescents also reported on the level of balanced relatedness provided by their best friend. Cross-lagged panel models showed that balanced relatedness significantly predicted adolescents' reconsideration, and was predicted by in-depth exploration and, in an inconsistent pattern, by commitment. Best friends' educational identity did not positively predict adolescents' educational identity. Perceiving a best friend as high on balanced relatedness seems to reduce adolescents' problematic educational reconsideration, while, in turn, adaptive educational identity processes might foster balanced relatedness.
AB - This 4-year longitudinal study examined over-time associations between adolescents' educational identity, perceived best friends' balanced relatedness, and best friends' educational identity. Adolescents (N = 464, Mage = 14.0 years at baseline, 56.0% males, living in the Netherlands) and their self-nominated best friends reported on their educational commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration. Target adolescents also reported on the level of balanced relatedness provided by their best friend. Cross-lagged panel models showed that balanced relatedness significantly predicted adolescents' reconsideration, and was predicted by in-depth exploration and, in an inconsistent pattern, by commitment. Best friends' educational identity did not positively predict adolescents' educational identity. Perceiving a best friend as high on balanced relatedness seems to reduce adolescents' problematic educational reconsideration, while, in turn, adaptive educational identity processes might foster balanced relatedness.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Balanced relatedness
KW - Educational identity
KW - Friend
KW - Longitudinal
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U2 - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.12.002
DO - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.12.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 26723005
AN - SCOPUS:84951065493
SN - 0140-1971
VL - 47
SP - 28
EP - 37
JO - Journal of Adolescence
JF - Journal of Adolescence
ER -