The process, content, and context of self-definitionin Czech adolescents:

Comparison of two generations and European perspective

Petr Macek

Institute for Research on Children, Youth, and Family

Faculty of Social Studies

Masaryk University

Brno, Czech republic

The process, content, and context of self-definitionin Czech adolescents:

Comparison of two generations and European

Three parts of presentation:

• What was and what is special about adolescence? How was the concept of adolescence historically changing?

• Czech adolescents in the beginning of 1990’s: what did it mean to be a „post-totalitarian“ generation?

• Czech adolescents in the beginning of the new millennium:

what does it mean to be a „new generation“?

International projects regarding psychosocial characteristics and

everyday life experiences of adolescents • Euronet Pilot Study (1992) 11 European countries (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway,

Poland, Rumania, Russia, Switzerland) and USA

Total sample: 3 250 adolescents (231 Czechs) aged from 14 to 17 years old

Variables regarding: daily activities, future goals and expectations, daily hassles, coping strategies, life satisfactions, self esteem, control beliefs

and Czech Adolescent Study (2001) (the same variables, 231 Czech adolescents)

(Alsaker & Flammer (Eds.), 1999; Grob et al., 1999; Macek, 1999, 2003; Macek & Osecká, 1993)

• Adolescents’ Interpretation of the Social Contract (1994)

7 Countries: Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia, Sweden, USA

Total sample: 6 033 (1 128 Czechs) aged from 14 to 18 years old.

Variables regarding: perceptions of school and family environment, opinions about society, future

goals, moral dilemmas

(Flanagan et al., 1998, 1999; 2001, 2003; Macek et al, 1998)

• Responsibilities/entitlements: a study in language and social representation in Central and Western Europe (1998)

5 European countries: Czech Republic, France, Scotland, Slovakia, Russia

Total sample 996 adolescents and emerging adults (200 Czechs) aged from 16 to 21 years old.

Variables regarding different aspects of trust, responsibility, opinions about society, future goals

(Marková, 2003, 2004; Macek & Marková, 2003; Macek et al, 2003)

What was and what is special about adolescence? How the concept of adolescence developed throughout 20th century

Time of adolescence - changes throughout 20th century

Theoretical approaches to adolescence

Revolt, opposition against authority and the world of adults

(adolescent identity in contrast to adult identity)

Adolescence as Storm and Stress (G.S. Hall, 1904), or also as a generation

conflict (S. Freud, A. Freud, 1946)

Developmental task and social pressure (achieving a “socially appropriate” identity)

Adolescence as a certain period for accomplishing a developmental task (R. Havighurst, 1948; E. Erikson, 1968).

Space for self-fulfilment and life style(searching for one's value, forming “the

real adolescent identity“)

Adolescence as the conceptualization of life space

(K. Lewin, 1939; U. Bronfenbrenner, 1979)

Start to the authorship of one's own life (adolescent identity as an important stage of the lifelong formation of identity)

Adolescence as forming one's development (R. Lerner, 1985, 2001)

The generation of Czech adolescents from the beginning of 1990’s:

“Post-totalitarian generation of youth”

Their childhood and the lives of their parents were determined by the communist experience:

- communist regime was strongly paternalistic and authoritative system,

- people were losing not only personal freedom but also personal responsibility for their own life,

- high level of social security and certainty and “average” life conditions for all people inhibited personal goals and initiative.

The generation of adolescents from the beginning of 1990’s:

The most of Czechs (not only adolescents) were in the beginning of nineties extremely optimistic in regard to future

Compared to adolescents from other post-communistic countries, Czechs perceived social, political, and economic changes more positively.

International project “Adolescents’ Interpretation of the Social Contract” (Flanagan et al, 1999; Macek et al, 1999).

"Economic changes in our society are making the life of the average person worse, not better"

(f ive point Likert scale: 1 - "certainly disagree", 5 - "certainly agree")

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Hungary

What do you think the Czech republic will be like in 30 years from now, in the future (2024)?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Bulgaria

Czech republic

Hungary

Type A Type B Type C Type D Type E

Type A: Small elite at the top, very few people in the middle and mass at the bottom.Type B: A society like a pyramid, with a small elite at the top, more people in the middle, and most at the bottom.Type C: A pyramid except that just a few people are at the very bottom.Type D: A society with most people in the middle.Type E: Many people near the top and only a few near the bottom.

However, this general optimism contrasted by Czech adolescents with their very realistic view on themselves and their life ( Euronet Pilot Study,1992)

Life Satisfaction

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

Euronet Pilot Study (1992)

I accept the things in my life that cannot be changed and whatever happens, I can see the bright side

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

Czech

oslo

vakia

Ruman

ia

Finlan

dUSA

Switzer

land

(G.s)

Poland

Germ

any

Franc

e

Switzer

land

(F.s

.)

Norway

Hunga

ry

Russia

Bulgar

ia

The importance of the wish "Being liked by other people"

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

In comparison to adolescents from Western European Countries, „post-totalitarian“ generation of Czechs presented:

• a very similar structure and time schedule of daily school activities,• similar coping strategies,• less structured leisure activities (sports, hobbies), more hanging

around,• more daily hassles regarding school, family, and money

They were special regarding:

• a highest level of optimism concerning distant future• a high level of personal standards and expectations • a lower level of life satisfaction and global self-esteem• a high level of dependency on evaluations and opinions of

authorities

„New“ generation of Czech adolescents (2001)

When the 'post-totalitarian' generation of Czech adolescents in the beginning of the nineties saw things very positively, providing them with wonderful personal opportunities and challenges then the contemporary adolescents are apt to see the same conditions as normal attributes of everyday life

The present generation of adolescents grew up in a democratic society, they experience a greater personal freedom, while also having to take more responsibility for themselves and experiencing greater uncertainty and unpredictability

Commitment and future goals

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

3,00

3,50

4,00

Commitm

ent

Career

Being successful

Family

Social responsibility

Social pleasure

post-totalitarian

contemporary

”When you think about the future, what do you consider as being important to you?”

Compared to the previous generation (1992), contemporary respondents (2001) see as more important these future goals and interests:

• earning a lot of money,• getting a good education,• having a good time with friends, • having an successful professional career,

As less important they see:• having children,• being liked by other people.

Future interests and expectations

When we compare an expected age for the achievement of these future interests, some highly significant changes are evident.

Compared to the former generation, contemporary adolescents want:

• to get married three years later (23 vers. 26 years old),• to have children four years later (24 vers. 27) • to be an important professional two years earlier (29 vers. 27)

Process of self-definition

Differences of importance of self-representations

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Post-communistic

Contemporaryadolescents

Self-definition (identity styles) :differences between two generations

0,00

5,00

10,00

15,00

20,00

25,00

informational normative diffuse

post-totalitarian

contemporary generation

Conclusions• Although we do not have direct evidence about concrete influences

of social changes on adolescent’s psychosocial development, we have empirical findings about differences between two generations of Czech adolescents.

• Compared to former generation, contemporary Czech adolescents are more individualistically oriented. They emphasize more material aspects of their lives. Professional career is more important for them,

as well as actual personal pleasure and leisure activities.

• They are more similar to their peers from Western European

countries than previous generations.

Conclusions

• In regard to self-definition and identity formation, they experience more personal freedom, more authenticity, yet more self-responsibility and uncertainty. 

• A greater need for stability, rules, and positive norms among contemporary adolescents corresponded with their reported higher level of commitment.

• Empirical results also confirmed that there is greater

autonomy among contemporary adolescents than among those of the former post-totalitarian generation.