Predicting Levels of Aspiration: A Comparison of Perceived and Actual Informational Inputs from Significant Others.

This research report presents the results of a study to determine the influence of significant others upon adolescent levels of aspiration. High school sophomores in a central Wisconsin community responded to an instrument testing ego, ego's perception of significant others' expectations, and occupational aspiration. The two hypotheses under study included the relative influence of significant others on levels of aspiration and an individual ego's perceptions of significant others' influence as a better predictor of levels of aspiration than actual expectations by significant others. The findings indicate that the more influence one is subjected to, the higher the correspondence between aspirationally-relevant content of that influence and one's own aspirations. A summary of the findings for the second hypothesis indicates that perceptions of informational inputs are comparatively better predictors of levels of aspiration. The implication of this study is that the "total picture" of interpersonal influence on status aspirations is incomplete and more research is needed. (Author/DE)