An investigation of the effect of adolescent shame on future expectations.

Abstract

The predictive influence of future expectations on adolescent development, behavior and thriving justify the importance of improving understanding factors of potential impact. Excess shame’s troublesome nature warrants additional clarity regarding its contributions to adolescent future expectations. This study’s examination of adolescent shame’s influence on future expectations sought to determine if high shame in adolescence predicts low future expectancies. It also explores whether adolescents from households with lower income reported higher shame and lower future expectations. Results from surveys of fourteen adolescents found that shame and future expectations correlate, specifically such that scoring high in shame resulted in lower future expectations. Females on average scored higher in shame than males, although most participants ranked high in shame. Finally, income was not significant at predicting future expectations, suggesting that SES alone may not influence adolescent belief and ideas about the future. Identifying a connection between adolescent shame and future expectations provides a broader foundation for existing knowledge about adolescent development.

Key words: adolescence, shame, future expectations, adolescent belief