Treasured possessions and their meanings in adolescent males and females

Although studies have found that treasured possessions function in developmentally significant ways for infants and young children, little research has focused on their meanings and functions during later life stages. The present study analyzes treasured possessions and their meanings in adolescence, including their relation to those treasured during early life. Subjects were 249 14- to 18-year-old high school students (119 males, 130 females) who completed a questionnaire. Results showed that males' most treasured possessions (i.e., motor vehicles, sports equipment, and music) embodied enjoyment and instrumental meanings, whereas females' treasured objects (i.e., jewelry, stuffed animals, motor vehicles) embodied primarily interpersonal meanings. Comparisons of early childhood vs. adolescent treasured objects showed that the kinds of objects treasured changed with age, and that instrumental qualities of objects became more important with age. Thus, clinical claims that adolescents' treasured objects function in ways similar to that of early childhood were not supported. Active use of early treasured objects declined with age, although these objects continued to be psychologically important, especially for adolescent females. It is proposed that during adolescence, treasured objects mirror age- and gender-related aspects of the adolescent self, and simultaneously contribute to the development of self-identity.