Own Value System, Value Images,and Cigarette Smoking

Abstract

It has been suggested that smoking among young people results from a need to confirm self-images and thus is more likely to be adopted by those whose self-images are similar to images of smokers. Conversely, nonsmoking is expected to occur among those whose self-images are similar to images of nonsmokers. This study investigates the similarity between value images of smokers and nonsmokers and the terminal and instrumental value systems of junior high school students and recent high school graduates. Overall, the respondents' value systems were considerably more similar to images of nonsmokers than to images of smokers. However, for both age groups, those identified as smokers or potential smokers were more similar to images of smokers than were nonsmokers. Moreover, potential smokers were less similar to images of nonsmokers than were nonsmokers or smokers. Unexpectedly, these latter groups did not differ significantly in their similarity to images of nonsmokers. These results partially replicate previous findings and generally support the hypotheses.