Is There a Downside to Shooting for the Stars? Unrealized Educational Expectations and Symptoms of Depression

Autor/inn/en	Reynolds, John R.; Baird, Chardie L.
Titel	Is There a Downside to Shooting for the Stars? Unrealized Educational Expectations and Symptoms of Depression
Quelle	In: American Sociological Review, 75 (2010) 1, S.151-172 (22 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0003-1224
DOI	10.1177/0003122409357064
Schlagwörter	Educational Attainment; Mental Health; Young Adults; Academic Aspiration; Longitudinal Studies; Depression (Psychology); High School Students; Expectation; Psychological Patterns; At Risk Persons; Adolescents; Minority Groups; Disadvantaged Youth; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); National Longitudinal Survey of Youth; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut; Psychohygiene; Young adult; Junger Erwachsener; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Expectancy; Erwartung; Risikogruppe; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Ethnische Minderheit; Benachteiligter Jugendlicher; Psychiatrische Symptomatik
Abstract	Despite decades of research on the benefits of educational expectations, researchers have failed to show that unrealized plans are consequential for mental health, as self-discrepancy and other social psychological theories would predict. This article uses two national longitudinal studies of youth to test whether unrealized educational expectations are associated with depression in adulthood. Negative binomial regression analyses show that unmet expectations are associated with a greater risk of depression among young adults who share similar educational expectations. The apparent consequences of aiming high and falling short result, however, from lower attainment, not the gap between plans and attainment. Results indicate almost no long-term emotional costs of "shooting for the stars" rather than planning for the probable, once educational attainment is taken into account. This lack of association also holds after accounting for early mental health, the magnitude of the shortfall, the stability of expectations, and college-related resources, and it is robust across two distinct cohorts of high school students. We develop a theory of "adaptive resilience" to account for these findings and, because aiming high and failing are not consequential for mental health, conclude that society should not dissuade unpromising students from dreams of college. (Contains 4 tables and 6 notes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10