Model Behavior

Parents worried that Britney Spears is their teen daughter's role model, be encouraged. Research shows that role models have a positive impact on youth achievement but that those known personally to the teen have more influence than media figures. That's welcome news for parents, teachers and others who interact with young people.

The study, published in the January 2002 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, surveyed 749 Los Angeles County teens ages 12 to 17 and found that the 56 percent who named a role model had better grades and higher measures of self-esteem than those who did not. Boys and girls reported role models equally, and there was no difference between younger and older teens.

The study, by Dr. Antronette Yancey of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health and colleagues, also found that knowing the role model personally was associated with better grades and higher measures of self-esteem than having a role model in the media. Both groups, however, scored higher than study participants who had no role model.

Andrew Milson is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in Baylor's School of Education who conducts research in social studies and character education. Role models offer young people a picture of what is possible in life, he says. "Teens with role models may be able to identify something they want to attain and be empowered to try to achieve it," he says. "Teens also are able to see what qualities of character are necessary to achieve their goals. This is why we hope that teens will identify with a role model who exemplifies good character."

Knowing a role model personally may provide a more realistic view of achievement, he says. For example, observing both the successes and failures of a role model may enable teens to more easily imagine themselves emulating that person because they see that everyone has faults and setbacks. In contrast, teens who identify with individuals known only to them through the media might glorify their achievements but become discouraged about their own chances of success, he says.

The study found that 72 percent of youth surveyed had role models in their own ethnic group. Ninety-six percent of black youth were most likely to identify a role model of the same ethnicity, followed by 79 percent of whites and 64 percent of Latinos. Those reporting a strong sense of racial identification and pride also were more likely to have role models they knew personally. Conversely, those with a weak sense of ethnic identity were less likely to name a role model.

Milson says an important message from the study is to recognize the importance of exposing youth to a variety of role models, and for adults working with teens to see themselves as potential role models. "It's important to help teens develop positive role models that they know personally," he says, "and to help them identify and emulate the traits that contribute to achievement."

Beal is a lecturer in Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, where she teaches "The Experience of Illness." She received her BS from Columbia University and her MN from Emory. She is a freelance health and medical writer.