Extrinsic life goals and health-risk behaviors in adolescents

Guided by self-determination theory. (Deci & Ryan, 1985), two studies exami ned adolescents' risk behaviors as a function of their extrinsic aspiration s for wealth, fame, and image relative to their intrinsic aspirations for g rowth, relationships, and community; and as a function of their perceptions of their parents' autonomy support. In the first study, adolescents who re ported using cigarettes had significantly stronger relative extrinsic aspir ations than did adolescents who reported not smoking. In the second study, a composite risk behavior index for adolescents' use of tobacco, alcohol, a nd marijuana, and their having had sexual intercourse was significantly pre dicted by their relative extrinsic life goals, and both students' health-co mpromising behaviors and their relative extrinsic goals were significantly negatively predicted by their perceptions of their parents' autonomy suppor t.