Conceptual analysis and measurement of adolescent autonomy

The aim of the present study was to examine the concept of adolescent auton omy. A conceptual analysis of different theoretical perspectives has result ed in an integrative model of attitudinal, emotional, and functional autono my. Attitudinal autonomy refers to the cognitive process of choosing and de fining a goal. Emotional autonomy refers to the affective process of feelin g confident about one's own choices and goals. Functional autonomy refers t o the regulatory process of developing a strategy to achieve these goals. T he empirical value of this model was tested by developing a questionnaire a ssessing adolescent autonomy. Subjects were 400 adolescents between 12 and 18 years old. Confirmatory factor analyses (LISREL 8) provided evidence for the 3 hypothesized dimensions.