One-fifth of all teens who responded to a recent survey describe themselves as ambitious, materialistic, self-centered Achievers.

Is that all? That must be wrong, or perhaps more value success but aren’t willing to wear such an ugly label.

The hip and happening Habbo, with  94 million registered users, just released the results of their Global Youth Survey of 58,486 teens between the ages 11 and 18 from 31 countries.  Respondents were identified as falling into 1 of 5 behavioral groups:

•    Achievers: Ambitious, strong minded and materialistic.  They value material success and whilst having lots of friends do not consider other people’s feelings as much as other segments
•    Rebels: Value gathering lots of experiences in life and enjoy a fast-paced lifestyle.  Like Achievers they want to become “rich and famous”, but they are not willing to compromise on having fun in order to achieve this goal
•    Traditionals: Value having an ordinary life and see themselves as honest, polite and obedient.  They are keen to help others but are less ambitious and  pleasure seeking compared to other segments
•    Creatives: Share many of the same positive traits as Traditionals, but with a focus on creativity.  They place value in getting a good education and being influential in life, but they are also active, social and have an interest in travelling
•    Loners: More introverted and less likely than other segments to identify with any specific personality traits.  They rarely see themselves as active or self-assured, but are more open minded in their attitudes compared to Traditionals or Achievers

I’m wondering where my daughter would place herself, and if her peers would agree.  But, I have to question these categories.  Do they have to be mutually exclusive?  Can you be an Achiever and still be considerate of others?  Aren’t Creatives just as likely to be ambitious as the Achievers?

I’m also wondering how these definitions influence personal growth.  Isn’t it detrimental for a teen - who is still in the throes of exploring who they are - to accept these labels?

And, isn’t it hazardous to give Achievers such a bad rep?  I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be described as inconsiderate and materialistic, but I sure want my children to be strong minded leaders who achieve their goals.

What category do you fall into?  And, where do you want to see your kids?  What do you think of this survey?

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.