The self-concept in adolescent girls
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate two dimensions
of the self-concept of girls in successive phases
of the developmental process. One dimension was self-satisfaction,
that is, the degree to which the girl is content
with herself. The second dimension was identification with
mother, that is, the connection between the girl's self-picture
and her image of the major identification figure available
to her, her mother. The hypotheses investigated related
to the expected fluctuations in self-satisfaction and identification with mother in prepuberty, early puberty, and late
puberty. They were based on certain theories about the characteristics
of these periods.
Prepuberty is a period during which the girl experiences
relatively little acute internal tension, and her dependence
on her parents is still accepted by herself and them.
In early puberty, however, physical maturation is well under
way and the girl is confused by the upsurge of internal drives.
At the same time that she strives for independence, she also
fears it. She tries to be different from her mother but is
still closely identified with her. By late puberty more adequate
ways of coping with the internal drives have been developed
and independence has become less frightening. While
it is no longer so threatening to be like mother, identification
with other persons from a wider world of experience has
reshaped important aspects of the girl's ego-ideal.
On the basis of these theoretical considerations, the
following hypotheses were generated:
1. In the course of female development, there will
be a decline in-self-satisfaction from prepuberty
to early puberty and a rise in late puberty.
2. In the course of female development, there will
be a decline in self-moth~r identification from
prepuberty to early puberty and a rise in late
puberty.
3. In the course of female development, there will
be no marked difference in ideal-mother identification
in prepuberty·and early puberty, but there
will be a decline in late puberty.
A Q-sort technique was employed to test these hypotheses.
Descriptive statements were sorted three times to
reflect the self image, the ideal image, and the image of
mother respectively. Correlations between the sorts served
as measures of self-satisfaction, self-mother identification,
and ideal-mother identification. To represent the developmental
periods, three groups of girls, whose ages were 11, 14,
and 17 years, were originally included, and a fourth group of
20 year old girls was added in the course of the study.
The results based on the data from the original three
groups did not support the hypotheses. Responses of the 17
year old group, however, approximated those predicted for 14
year olds. On the premise that adolescence extends for a
longer period than originally postulated, a transposition of
the developmental hypotheses was tested by the addition of a
20 year old group.
The findings from the extended study in general supported
the hypotheses except for a conspicuous departure from
the prediction regarding self-mother identification.
Self-satisfaction declines continuously through the
adolescent period until the end of adolescence when it rises
slightly. This suggests that the self-concept is most severely
shaken in later adolescence3 defined as age 17, and that its
reintegration has only begun at the end of adolescence, defined
as age 20.
Self-mother identification declines continuously
through the entire adolescent period, reaching its lowest
point at the end of the adolescent period. This result is
contrary to the prediction. Ideal-mother identification remains
high until the end of adolescence when it declines
sharply. Thus, it would appear that overall identification
with mother is not significantly loosened until the end of
adolescence. The patterns of the fluctuation of the two measures
of identification are quite different and give rise to
various interpretations of adolescence.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University
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