ERIC Number: EJ901200
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0047-2891
EISSN: N/A
Adolescent Psychological and Academic Adjustment as a Function of Discrepancies between Actual and Ideal Self-Perceptions
Ferguson, Gail M.; Hafen, Christopher A.; Laursen, Brett
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, v39 n12 p1485-1497 Dec 2010
Actual-ideal discrepancies are associated with adolescent emotional distress and there is evidence that the size of discrepancies matters. However, the direction of discrepancies has not been examined, perhaps due to limitations of widely used self-discrepancy measures. Two hundred and twelve 7th, 9th and 11th grade students (59% female) in a public school in Jamaica described their actual and ideal selves in several different domains--friendship, dating, schoolwork, family, sports, and religion/spirituality--using a Pie measure. Students also completed measures of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and academic achievement. Discrepancies favoring the ideal self "and" those favoring the actual self were linked to depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, and poor school grades in the domains of friendship, dating, and schoolwork. Effects were stronger among older adolescents than among younger adolescents. Theories of actual/ideal self-discrepancies have focused on problems arising when the ideal self overshadows the actual self; however, the present study finds that self-discrepancies, regardless of their direction, are a liability. Implications for self-discrepancy measurement, adolescent development, and clinical practice are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 6 figures.)
Descriptors: Adolescent Development, Friendship, Adolescents, Foreign Countries, Student Adjustment, Depression (Psychology), Correlation, Emotional Disturbances, Religion, Dating (Social), Measurement Techniques, Measures (Individuals), Self Esteem, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Academic Achievement, Age Differences, Grades (Scholastic)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Jamaica
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A