Adolescents’ Perception and Knowledge of Agency: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Human being is complicated, and at the same time, is basically active. Human agency means human beings are capable of controlling their life via thinking, motivation and self-action. Agency is a multidimensional construct and is the subject of research in various human sciences, including philosophy, sociology and psychology. The present study aims to investigate the adolescents’ perceptions of agency in Tehran. Using a descriptive phenomenological method, 14 adolescents aged 15–18 were selected by targeted sampling and interviewed in 2017 in Tehran for a semi-structured interview. Interview questions were designed based on theoretical framework of the research, and were corrected in three stages. In addition, the data was analyzed by using a seven-step Colaizzi method. The findings showed that adolescents had a poor understanding of agency. In addition, agency characteristics of adolescents are: conditional agency perception, positive beliefs about their ability, short-term goal, unpredictable and unilateral forethought, consultation with others, one dimensional selection, making choices in the absence of an obstacle, contingent self-assessment, and planning. Overall, the results indicate a poor agency among adolescents. Moreover, adolescents have a proxy agency in life course. That is, they alone cannot influence their decisions and environment. So, they can only make decisions with the others. It can be said that adolescents rely on others to attain their optimal results.

Keywords

• human agency
• proxy agency
• phenomenological method