Examining the Relationship Between Criminogenic Thinking, Differential Identification, Motivation, and Risk-Taking Behavior in Emerging Adults

Young adults engage in a disproportionately high rate of problematic behaviors such as risky sexual activities, academic dishonesty, and substance abuse. In order to understand why this occurs, two lesser-known constructs related to risk-taking behavior were investigated in this study: differential identification, which has yet to be empirically studied in the context of emerging adults, and criminogenic thinking, which has only been evaluated in this context to a minimal degree. To bridge the gap between these two constructs, motivation was hypothesized to be a moderator in each of these respective relationships. Data from 309 emerging adults were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to complete the survey materials online. The analysis consisted of a hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results indicated that motivation did not moderate either relationship (i.e., differential identification and risk-taking behavior and criminogenic thinking and risk-taking behavior). However, a main effect was found between one aspect of differential identification and risk-taking behavior. No other main effects were found in this study. Potential explanations for the results of this study are discussed, as well as implications and directions for future research.