Tolerance for ambiguity as individual personality presupposition of the process of self-determination in adolescence and youth

Abstract

Background/Aims: In adolescence people tend to encounter challenging questions related to identity and future. Nowadays this period is even more complicated because of high level of novelty and complexity of the environment. Tolerance of ambiguity can be viewed as one of the sources of internal support in the context of transitivity, changing norms and values. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the effect of age and sex on tolerance of ambiguity during three developmental periods: adolescence, early and late youth. We also investigated gender-specific relationship between tolerance of ambiguity, internal locus of control and meaning-in-life orientations.
Methods: 322 people participated in the study – 191 females and 131 males. The adolescence group comprised 117 participants (mean age – 15,4), the early youth group – 114 people (mean age – 16,3) and 100 participants in the late youth (mean age – 18,1). The following tests were applied: Purpose in Life test [Crumbaugh, Maholick, 1964], Locus of Control scale [Rotter, 1966] and Intolerance for Ambiguity [Budner, 1962].
Results: Females demonstrated higher ambiguity tolerance across all age periods. Compared to male participants, females were more tolerant to ambiguity and novelty during adolescence and early youth. Significant correlations between tolerance of ambiguity, internal locus of control and meaning-in-life orientations were found in adolescents of both sexes. Also, ambiguity tolerance and internal locus of control were found to correlate in females of late youth.