Adolescent control beliefs: Cross-cultural variations ~~~~~~of_~ri~arIandsecondarIorientations

This article reports of two studies addressing the meaning of primary and secondary control beliefs for transition to modernity and modern adoles­ cents. Study 1 participants (N = 365) were Malaysian (transition to mod­ ernity), and German and North American (modern) adolescents. Study 2 participants (N = 757) were Israeli Druze (transition to modernity) and Israeli Jewish (modern) adolescents. The control beliefs scales employed in the two studies drew from the primary-secondary control beliefs conceptual­ isation (Rothbaum, Weisz, & Snyder, 1982), shared a similar Likert-type item structure, but differed in operationalisation. Analyses tested two hypotheses: (1) the value mediation hypothesis postulated that transition to modernity adolescents will score higher on secondary control beliefs and modern adolescents will score higher on primary control beliefs; (2) the double transition hypothesis postulated that transition to modernity adoles­ cents will score higher on both primary and secondary control beliefs. Results supported these hypotheses only partly. However, they did show clearly that transition to modernity adolescents endorsed secondary control The valuable comments of J.R. Weisz on an earlier version of this paper and the three anonymous reviewers are here gratefully acknowledged. Also, the useful help of Hoda Heir and Haggai Kupermintz in carrying out the Israeli study are appreciated. The authors also wish to thank J. Jamieson for their help with the data collection for Study 1. 244 beliefs more strongly than did modern adolescents. The discussion focuses on possible explanations of inconsistent results. . It also suggest � that future research should address two issues brought to 11ght: the adaptive value of primary and secondary control beliefs; and the explanatory value of diffe­ rent control types. Both should be studied in historical, developmental, and cultural contexts.