High School Students' Marital Lifestyle Preferences: A Test of Reference Group Theory

In: Human relations: towards the integration of the social sciences, Band 39, Heft 11, S. 1053-1066

Abstract

The impact of parents and best friends upon the marital lifestyle preferences of a sample of 181 high school students is examined. Respondents' choices of lifestyles are found to be correlated with their perceptions of best friends' choices to a slightly greater degree than with perceptions of parents' choices. However, perceptions of best friends' and parents' choices both exert a significant influence on respondents' own choices. Mother's occupation also exerts a strong influence. A variety of family and attitudinal variables tested through regression analysis fail to show any additional significant influence on respondents' stated preferences for marital lifestyles.