Desire for Increased Autonomy and Adolescents’ Perceptions of Peer Autonomy: “Everyone Else Can; Why Can’t I?”

Abstract

Two studies examined adolescents' personal autonomy beliefs and their perceptions of peer autonomy. Study 1 sampled 527 adolescents (M = 15.40 years) and found that adolescents desired increased autonomy most over personal and multifaceted issues and least over moral and conventional issues. Younger adolescents and girls desired increased autonomy more than did older adolescents and boys, respectively. Overestimation of peer autonomy was moderate but stable. Finally, results indicated that adolescents who perceived their friends as having more autonomy than they did were more likely to desire increased autonomy over multifaceted and prudential issues. Study 2 sampled 170 early adolescents (M = 13.39 years) and used a longitudinal design to further support the conclusion that adolescents utilize peers as metrics to gauge the appropriate pacing of behavioral autonomy development.