Relationship Between Basic Human Values and Decision-Making Styles in Adolescents

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between decision-making styles and values of Spanish adolescents and analyses the role of age and gender on their use of adaptive and maladaptive decision-making styles. The scientific literature suggests that decision-making consists of different stages through which individuals reach a solution to their dilemmas. An ex post facto quantitative, non-experimental research design was used and applied to a sample of adolescents of Madrid (España). The Flinders Adolescents Decision-Making Questionnaire (FADMQ) by Mann as well as the Schwartz Values Scale (SVS) were also used. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the decision-making styles and values of adolescents using the variables gender and age to classify the sample. The study concludes that adolescents who use an adaptive decision-making style tend to pursue mastery of the values Self-direction, Stimulation, Achievement, and Power, whereas adolescents who use a maladaptive style tend to shy away from the value Self-direction and are more conservative. In terms of gender, the results for both females and males coincide in the significant correlations found between their decision-making styles and values. In terms of age, the correlations between values and decision-making styles are higher and numerous in younger adolescents. We conclude that the relationships verified could help educators to engage and act on the development of specific decision-making training programs based on the values of adolescents.