Abstract
Highly gifted young people vary considerably in the career levels to which they aspire. Such differences normally are explained in terms of child rearing and subsequent learned achievement motivation. This study suggests that important components in career level aspiration are related to the total personality styles of both parents and adolescents and that achievement motivation is more a function of the models children are exposed to than the training they receive. Recent research concerning the relationship between personality and occupational choice provides a means for evaluating this explanation.
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Work on this paper was supported by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.
Her research has been in personality theory.
Received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. Major interests are in personality theory and moral development.
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Viernstein, M.C., Hogan, R. Parental personality factors and achievement motivation in talented adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 4, 183–190 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537441
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537441