Status Consistency of the Projected Frames of Reference of Rural Males / John T. Pelham.

The specific research objective of this paper was to make racial comparisons on the consistency dimension of the projected frames of reference of adolescent males from the rural South. Data were obtained from a population of high school sophomores in 3 Texas and 2 Georgia counties. Complete data were available for 223 white and 192 Negro males. Findings indicated that a majority of both races had status aspirations which were of different levels, although few of either race were totally inconsistent. White males were more likely than Negroes to be consistent in their aspirations. Large majorities of both races demonstrated inconsistent anticipated frames of reference, although more distinct racial differences existed for the vertical dimension of the anticipated frames of reference. A comparison of the 2 frames of reference revealed some horizontal inter-frame variation. Males of both races were less consistent in their expectations than in their aspirations, although this was true to a greater extent among whites than Negroes. Further research needs were other important status variables, e.g., material possessions, leisure time activities, residence, and additional research on consistency of the projected frames of reference of youth. (HBC)

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