The Development of Self-Control in Late Adolescence: An Analysis of Trajectories and Predictors of Change Within Trajectories

Abstract

Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that parenting is the primary source of self-control. Research on the etiology of self-control has provided partial support for this proposition. Studies have shown parenting is an important determinant of self-control; however, research has also shown that other social and biological/genetic factors also influence the development of self-control. The current study contributes to the literature by examining the possibility that sources of self-control may vary across subgroups, which exhibit different developmental patterns of self-control. Analyses are based on 6-year panel data from a sample of South Korean youths. The results indicate that youths are clustered into three subgroups showing stable, increasing, and decreasing levels of self-control over time. Similarities/differences in the relationships among family, school, peer, and community variables and self-control appeared across the subgroups. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.