NCJ Number
227826
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 103-127
Date Published
June 2009
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study explored thoughtfully reflective decision making (TRDM), human agency, and rational choice.
Abstract
Findings show that an important part of what it means to act rationally and with human agency is the process of TRDM. Individuals act as agents when they intentionally pursue goals and deliberately commit themselves to a course of action designed to reach those goals. Identified are four key components of TRDM: collecting information pertaining to a problem that requires a decision, thinking of alternative solutions to the problem, systematically deliberating over how to determine the best alternative, and retrospectively analyzing how good a problem solver was in the situation. TRDM is thought to be a characteristic of individuals that varies both across persons, within persons over time, and across different decision making contexts. In terms of life outcomes, the study found general support that TRDM is positively related to successful life outcomes. Adolescents who were more thoughtfully reflective in their decision making were more likely to have favorable life outcomes both in the short-term (6-18 months later) and more long-term (5-7 years later) than those less thoughtful. In the short term, those who were thoughtfully reflective were less likely to be involved in delinquency, heavy drinking, and drug use and more likely to expect to graduate from college. In the long term, those who were more thoughtful in their decision making were less likely to be involved in criminal offending and drug use and more likely to be involved in community and civic groups. Data were collected from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a multi-wave, panel study of adolescents in grades 7 through 12. Tables, appendix, and references