Unraveling Perceived Work Values of Role Models From TV Series and Social Media in Adolescents’ Work Value Endorsement: A Longitudinal Investigation

Work values are a component of vocational identities. How TV series and social media role models play a role in adolescents’ work value endorsement remains underexamined. This study investigated transactional within-person associations between perceived upholding of intrinsic/extrinsic work values by a favorite occupational role model from a TV series or from social media and adolescents’ intrinsic/extrinsic work value endorsement. The moderating roles of occupational wishful identification and gender were also examined. Altogether, 1,294 late adolescents (55.85% girls, M age = 18.34, SD age = 6.44) participated in a three-wave panel study. Perceived upholding of intrinsic work values by a favorite occupational role model from a TV series positively predicted adolescents’ intrinsic work value endorsement on the within-person level. Regarding the perceived upholding of intrinsic/extrinsic work values by a favorite role model from social media and adolescents’ work value endorsement, only between-person associations emerged. No support was found for our moderators.