Social Milieu and Future Orientation: The Case of Kibbutz vs. Urban Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the effect of one social milieu factor (Israeli kibbutz vs. urban lifestyle) on adolescents' future orientation. Responses of 114 kibbutz and 112 urban adolescents to an open-ended future orientation questionnaire are grouped into nine life domains: school and matriculation, military service, higher education, work and career, marriage and family, self, others, collective issues, and community service. Analysis shows that, overall, kibbutz adolescents express fewer hopes for the future (lower hopes salience), and their image of hopes for the future is somewhat less detailed and concrete (lower hopes specificity). These tendencies are especially manifested in domains pertaining to transition to adulthood (military service, higher education) and adulthood (work and career, marriage and family) roles. Results are examined in light of prospective cognitive appraisal (Lazarus & Launier, 1978). This prompts a proposition that the relationship between adolescents' prospective appraisal and future orientation has an inverted U-shape. Following on from Trommsdorff and Lamm (1980) it is also suggested that the future orientation model be expanded and also include intrapersonal factors derived from expectancy x value models (Heckhausen, 1977).