SOME DEVELOPMENTAL ANTECEDENTS OF LEVEL OF ASPIRATION.

THIS STUDY REPORTS CHILDREARING PRACTICES AND CHILD BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH A SUBSEQUENT LEVEL OF ASPIRATION (LOA). ANTECEDENT MEASURES WERE CHILDREARING ATTITUDES REPORTED BY 379 MOTHERS OF FIVE-YEAR OLDS IN AN EARLIER STUDY. AT THE TIME OF THIS STUDY, THE 83 SUBJECTS WERE 18 YEARS OLD. THEY WERE ADMINISTERED TWO PERSONALITY SCALES AND THE ROTTER LEVEL OF ASPIRATION BOARD. THE LOA YIELDS THREE SCORES CAPABLE OF YIELDING NINE PATTERNS WHICH DESCRIBE AN INDIVIDUAL'S OVERALL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS OF GOAL STATEMENT AND GOAL CHANGE. STATEMENTS OF HIGH GOALS INCONSISTENT WITH PAST ACHIEVEMENT SHOW CONSISTENT AND SIGNIFICANT TENDENCIES TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH EARLIER MATERNAL PUNITIVENESS TOWARD AGGRESSION AND DEPENDENCY, HIGH MATERNAL ANXIETY, AND MORE PREVALENT OBEDIENCE PROBLEMS. FAILURE AVOIDANT LEVELS OF ASPIRATION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MATERNAL PROTECTIVENESS, WARMTH, AND GREATER PERMISIVENESS IN SEXUAL SOCIALIZATION. SEVERAL DIFFICULTIES LIMIT THE VALIDITY OF THE STUDY. THE ORIGINAL STUDY WAS NOT DESIGNED FOR EVENTUAL RESEARCH ON LOA. MUCH OF IMPORTANCE TO GOAL STRIVING BEHAVIOR UNDOUBTEDLY OCCURRED DURING THE 13 YEAR INTERVAL. MATERNAL REPORTS OF CHILDREARING PRACTICES ARE POSSIBLY UNRELIABLE. THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS SUGGESTIVE RATHER THAN DEFINITIVE. (AUTHOR/PR)