Abstract

This study investigates adolescents' orientation towards and frequence of "loisir" excitement activities', representations of "day" and "night" and perception of risk of disfuctional behaviors. It is assumed that individual search for excitement and representations of "day" and "night" are closely related to psychoactive substance use. Respondents not using substances, respondents using rarely and frequently licit substances respectively, and respondents using "light" and "heavy" illicit substances respectively, answered a questionnaire on orientations toward activities of "loisir", frequency of various activities, representations of "day" and "night", and sociodemographics. Results show that all determinats investigated are related to substance use. Users of hashish and polidrugs were found to be aware of risky behaviors, but nevertheless they resulted higly attracted by "the night" and by rather risky activities. Furthemore, they seem to share a unddifferentiated conception of "day" and "night" conception. Results are discussed with reference to "Diffuse Self" (Breckler and Greenwald, 1986) and "Problem Behavior Theory" (Jessor and Jessor, 1977).