Abstract
Most research on adolescents' time perspective has focused on their future, yet attitudes and consciousness about the future vary according to one's view of the past. This study investigated differences in consciousness of goals as related to types of adolescents' views of the past. Undergraduate students (N＝314) completed questionnaires that included scales about one's view on the past and goal consciousness. Cluster analysis of index scores on five subscales pertaining to one's view on the past extracted four types of students: “Disconnected” (n＝137), “Conflicted” (n＝78), “Integrated” (n＝70), and “Captive by Past” (n＝29). One way ANOVA revealed significant differences in the scores on two subscales of goal consciousness among the four student groups. “Integrated” students had higher hopes for the future than the other three clusters of students. “Integrated” students also had greater consciousness of having future goals than “Disconnected” and “Captive” students. These data revealed that students who cognitively connected the past, present, and future and were accepting of their own past had higher hopes and goals for the future.
