| The period of youth is a crucial time for cultivating a commitment to positive purposes. Purposelessness has been associated with destructive behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood, and there is evidence that purpose is related positively to psychosocial health and moral development of young people.;This study examined a new measure of measure of youth purpose. The Youth Purpose (YP) Survey explored the personal importance, beyond-the-self rationales for importance, activity, and future plans relating to seven potential "categories" of purpose for young people, namely Family, the Arts, Religious Faith or Spirituality, Academic Achievement, Politics, Career, and Social Causes. Three questions sought to provide information around the validity of this measure: (1) What are the sources of young adult purpose? (2) How do young people differ in their dedication to these purposes? and (3) What are the implications of different sources of purpose for young peoples' character development? The YP Survey and four character trait measures were administered online to 500 college students. Character trait measures examined vitality, self-control, optimism, and agency and pathways. The Purpose in Life (PIL) test, an established measure of general purpose in life, was also administered.;Results showed that young adults in this sample considered Family to be the most important category, followed by Career, Academic Achievement, the Arts, Social Causes, Religious Faith or Spirituality, and Politics. Females found all categories significantly more important than males, with the exception of Politics, and Hispanic/Latinos rated Religious Faith or Spirituality significantly more important than other ethnic groups. Developmental patterns in beyond-the-self rationales, activity and/or future plans were found for Family, Academic Achievement, Career, and Social Causes. With the exception of Politics and Social Causes , all categories of purpose showed small significant correlations with at least one of the character trait measures and all categories showed small significant correlations with general purpose in life. Self-Control significantly predicted family purposes and religious faith or spirituality purposes. Agency and pathways significantly predicted purposes of family, the arts, academic achievement, career, and social causes. Implications of these findings for youth development and measurement are discussed. |
