The Relationship between Sense of Basic Trust and Time Perspective in Adolescence.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between sense of basic trust and time perspective in adolescence, from the viewpoint of Erikson's epigenetic developmental theory. Factor analysis was perfomed on all items of a Sense of Basic Trust Scale, Hopelessness Scale, and Experiential Time Perspective Scale. This yielded 4 factors : Hopelessnes-Hopefulness, Basic Trust and Time Continuity, Certainty about the Present and the Future, and Sense of Interpersonal Trust. The Basic Trust and Time Continuity Factor indicated a close relation between basic trust and self-continuity from past to present. Sense of interpersonal trust was less related to time perspective than sense of basic trust. This suggests that there is a conceptual difference between sense of basic trust and sense of interpersonal trust. Next, a covariance structure analysis was carried out to exmine the hypothesis that Basic Trust and Time Continuity influence Hopelessness and Certainty about the Future. The results showed that Basic Trust and Time Continuity influence Hopelessness, and that Hopelessness and Certainty about the Future influence each other.