ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
Locus of Control and Conformity among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Assertiveness
Bereket Merkine Gebresilase 1
Chuanxia Zhang 1
Zebdewos Zekarias Elka 2
Yohannes Bisa Biramo 2
Esayas Teshome Taddese 3
Ezza Madbaguri 3
1. Shandong Xiehe University, Jinan, China
2. Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Ethiopia
3. INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia
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Abstract
Adolescents, particularly in emerging economies such as Ethiopia, often face intense academic, social, and cultural pressures to conform in order to gain acceptance, avoid rejection, and maintain a sense of belonging. Peer influence frequently leads many adolescents to engage in risky behaviors, including substance use and alcohol consumption. Psychological resources such as interpersonal skills ( assertiveness) and personal dispositions (locus of control) are essential in helping adolescents resist negative peer pressure and make autonomous decisions. This study examined the role of locus of control in predicting conformity and investigated the mediating effect of assertiveness on this relationship among adolescents. Data were collected from 516 secondary school students (Mage = 14.77 ± 0.71) in grades 9–12. Of the participants, 271 (52.52%) were male and 245 (47.48%) were female. Results showed that internal locus of control was negatively associated with adolescent conformity, while external locus of control was positively associated with conformity. Assertiveness also demonstrated a significant negative correlation with conformity. Furthermore, structural equation modeling revealed that assertiveness partially mediated the relationship between both internal and external locus of control and conformity. These findings highlight the importance of fostering adolescents' sense of personal control and interpersonal skills as protective factors that enable them to resist peer pressure and make independent, adaptive decisions.
Summary
Keywords
adolescents, Assertiveness, conformity, Locus of Control, psychological well-being, Risky behaviors
Received
14 September 2025
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Gebresilase, Zhang, Elka, Biramo, Taddese and Madbaguri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Bereket Merkine Gebresilase
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