Me against the world or not: Intraindividual change in externalizing behavior through social goals

Externalizing behavior problems in adolescence are influenced by underlying social goal orientations, which guide how individuals interpret and respond to social situations according to the Social Information Processing model. This longitudinal study examined how social goal orientations predict intraindividual changes in externalizing behavior among adolescents using a True Intraindividual Change approach. Participants included 130 German adolescents (50% female, M = 14.8 years) assessed across two time points. Social goal orientations were measured using the Interpersonal Goals Inventory for Children. Externalizing behavior was assessed using DSM-oriented subscales from the Youth Self-Report. Agentic goals initially predicted lower antisocial behavior but, over time, predicted increases in it, as well as in oppositional behavior. Separate goals were associated with higher baseline oppositional behavior but decreased over time. Communal goals predicted increases in oppositional behavior over time. Submissive goals initially predicted lower externalizing behavior but were associated with increases in oppositional behavior across time. Social goal orientations demonstrate dynamic, context-sensitive relationships with externalizing behavior during adolescence. Interventions should focus on supporting prosocial pathways to goal achievement rather than targeting specific goal orientations.