The literature is lacking in studies that examine self-concept and language status among individuals older than adolescence. The purpose of this study is to conduct a quantitative nonexperimental comparative design to examine differences in self-concept and language status (monolingual or bilingual) between male and female undergraduate students in California. A total of 97 participants were examined in the study. The researcher conducted descriptive statistics on the demographics as well as a MANOVA and an ANOVA to answer the proposed research question. Based on the findings presented, the researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis of research question 1: There is no difference between monolingual and bilingual males and females in the self-concept areas of Behavioral Adjustment (BEH), Freedom from Anxiety (FRE), Happiness and Satisfaction (HAP), Intellectual and School Status (INT), Physical Appearance and Attributes (PHY), Social Acceptance (SOC), and Total Score (TOT). In order to contribute to the literature, future research should continue to examine self-concept and language among older populations and perhaps consider conducting a longitudinal study to look at self-concept over periods of transition.

This thesis reviewed literature exploring the factors contributing to spirituality and their effects on the development of self-concept in girls and women. Self-esteem, self-concept, and self-image, although closely related, were distinct constituents of mental health. Although religiousness and spirituality appeared to describe different concepts, they also were not fully independent. Christian spiritual formation was identified by the practice of spiritual disciplines and acts of faith with others. Spiritual and religious involvement were consistently and positively related to health and inversely related to disorders. However, there was inadequate conceptualization of Christian spirituality in the literature as an explanation effecting self-concept. Review of the evidence indicated that continued research is needed regarding the integration of spiritual disciplines as predictors for a distinct spiritual formation in women. Further research may provide evidence that healthy self-concept in women increases as a function of Christian spiritual formation.

The present study was designed to obtain a sexual self-discrepancy score and to examine if it correlates with other variables that are linked with self-discrepancy theory, such as anxiety, depression, self-acceptance, and other-acceptance (homonegativity). We developed a measure based on self-discrepancy theory that theoretically assessed a participant's level of discrepancy between sexual beliefs and practices. The questions on sexual beliefs were based on the "ideal/ought" dimensions of self-discrepancy theory, and the questions on sexual practices were based on the "actual" self. There were less than 10 participants of the 294 respondents who reported sizeable discrepancies between their sexual attitudes and actual behaviors. This was problematic in light of the original research hypothesis, so a decision was made to treat the present study as exploratory in nature and examine potential correlations between beliefs, behaviors, and the study variables, as well as examine potential gender differences in beliefs and behaviors. Using the available data, I elected to regress the study variables on the two constructs that were pivotal to this study: sexual beliefs and sexual behaviors. Taken together, the study variables significantly predicted sexual beliefs. The individual variables that contributed significantly to the prediction of sexual beliefs were (in order of magnitude): religiosity, attitudes toward gays and lesbians, and self-esteem. Higher levels of religiosity, prejudice toward gays and lesbians, and low self-esteem were associated with limited acceptance of sexual activity. Age, self-acceptance, and symptoms of maladjustment were not associated significantly with sexual attitudes.

This is a qualitative study of women whose children are or have been enrolled in a Head Start program in the midwest. Head Start is an educational program designed to provide a wide range of services to disadvantaged children and their families. Part of the program’s goals is to encourage parental participation in order to provide low-income parents a possibility of enriching their lives and empowering themselves through education. Using symbolic interaction as the initial theoretical perspective, I examine the experiences of mothers and how their involvement in the Head Start program has impacted their lives. Through interviews and observation, I investigate how Head Start as a formal organization designed to be part of the solution to the officially defined social problem of poverty affects the lives of Head Start mothers. As a former Head Start mother, I use my experiences as the starting point for the study. From the mothers' accounts of their experiences with Head Start, I found several factors which may lead to changes in self-concepts and personal empowerment. The women identified "mother" as a very important self. Head Start is able to provide an arena where the women can see their self as mother in a positive light. Parental involvement in the program is both expected and appreciated. The mothers indicated that through their work as volunteers, they feel important and needed for the program's operation and feel good about the things they do in Head Start. Among the factors identified which may lead to changes in self, empowerment, and self-concepts were the Federal mandate calling for maximum feasible participation of the parents, the transformation of clients into volunteers, the appreciation and encouragement shown to the mothers, the acknowledgement of the parents as primary educators of their children, and their peer relationship with the Head Start staff. Through participation in various Head Start activities, the women reported positive changes in their "selves." / Ph. D.

The purpose of the current study was to examine if positive family, social, and/or academic dimensions of SC weaken (i.e., moderate) the direct relationship between physical SC (i.e., a person's evaluation of their physique, adiposity, and weight) and depressive symptoms in a sample of adult men. A convenience sample of 239 college men completed self-report measures including the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale-2 (TSCS-2) and Symptom Checklist-90 Revised. Hierarchical regressions revealed that family and social SC were significant moderators of the relationship between physical SC and depressive symptoms, suggesting how men see themselves in their family and social systems affects the aforementioned relationship. Academic SC, however, was not a significant moderator; it was negatively related to depressive symptoms no matter how men felt about their physical selves. Our findings suggest that feeling positively about one's relationships may protect men with poor physical SC from experiencing symptoms of depression at the rates or intensity of their similarly body dissatisfied peers who do not report positive family or social SC. An additional simultaneous regression assessed the contribution of various dimensions of SC to the prediction of depressive symptoms, physical (7.76%), social (8.02%) and academic (6.62%) self-concept accounted for significant amount of variance in symptoms of depression which family SC (2.61%) did not. College counselors who assist men presenting with poor physical SC or depressive symptoms should assess for the other problem, as they commonly co-occur. In addition, they may consider helping them to improve the quality of their relationships in family and social systems as reasonable interventions for both depression and poor physical SC. Importantly, men who experience their academic SC as deficient should be considered at-risk for depression, although more research is needed to help identify the types of students who report low academic SC. In addition, men with symptoms of depression would likely benefit from accommodations to support their academic functioning.

Preadolescence is a transitional stage between childhood and adolescence characterized by rapid and erratic change. Preadolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to negative impacts to self-concept and adaptability and may benefit from support to strengthen these key aspects of their development. School-based expressive arts groups provide a developmentally appropriate opportunity for preadolescent girls to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences that can influence their self-concept and adaptability. Additionally, providing expressive arts groups from a career perspective provides participants a three-fold developmental intervention that includes components of the personal/social, academic, and career domains. Lindo and Ceballos combined the Career Construction Interview (CCI) with expressive arts school-based group counseling to create a developmentally appropriate intervention called the Child and Adolescent Career Construction Interview (CACCI). This study examined preadolescent girls' perceptions of participated in a CACCI group. Analysis of data yielded four major themes: (a) experiencing, (b) connecting, (c) expressing, and (d) becoming. Finding of this study have the potential to inform developmentally appropriate career counseling for preadolescents.

The problem of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the self-concept of two groups of ninth-grade students when one group received the services of junior and senior students in a Peer Assistance and Leadership class. The results of the Piers-Harris Children's—Self—Concept Scale were used to determine the difference between the mean self-concept scores of the two groups and also to determine if there was a relationship between the criterion variable of the total self-concept score and eight predictor variables as identified by House Bill 1010: Limited English proficiency, age, school attendance, achievement scores two or more years below grade level in reading and mathematics on a norm-referenced test, failure to master any portion of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills, failure in two or more subjects, grade retention, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. A total of 105 students, 50 in the experimental group and 55 in the control group, participated. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean self-concept scores of the two groups. The correlation revealed that there were significant differences between self-concept and the variables of mathematics achievement scores, failing grades, and eligibility for free lunch.

The problem of this study was to determine if there were differences in perceived attitudes of self-concept between young people who returned to alternative education after dropping out of public education and educationally disadvantaged at-risk youth in Coordinated Vocational Academic Education (CVAE) classes as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. The hypotheses formulated for the study predicted no significant difference in mean attitude self-concept scores of returned dropouts to alternative schools and CVAE students enrolled in junior high school preemployment laboratories and high school students enrolled in Cooperative Education classes as measured by the Piers-Harris scale; and no significant change in mean attitude self-concept scores of former dropouts enrolled in alternative education centers and CVAE students as measured by the Piers-Harris scale over a two-month period utilizing an extended Solomon Four-Group Design, with and without the treatment. The scale was administered to 351 students from junior high and high school CVAE classes in Ector County (Odessa), Fort Stockton, and Midland Independent School Districts and alternative schools in Denton, Fort Stockton, Midland and Odessa, Texas. The self-concept scores were treated for significance by an analysis of variance. Findings were that all groups tested scored within the age range, junior high school CVAE students scored lowest, but not significantly lower (p > .05); and junior high school CVAE students, alternative school students, and high school CVAE students all had a slight increase in self-confidence scores over the two-month period. All null hypotheses were retained. It was concluded that, overall, junior high school CVAE students, former dropouts who returned to an alternative school, and high school CVAE students possessed positive self-concepts that were above the national mean for the scale; and that CVAE classes enhance the self-concept of academically disadvantaged students in Cooperative Education classes.

The aim of the research was to establish the emotional experiences of adolescents who experience a discrepancy between their self-concept and ideal self-concept. An empirical investigation was carried out in order to establish the relationship that exists between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept of adolescents and certain emotions they experience. The investigation further identified the emotions that are prominent in the case of a discrepancy between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept. A Self-concept, Ideal Self-concept and Emotional Profile Index Questionnaire were completed by 250 adolescents. Trust and sociability showed the strongest positive correlations and depression, distrust and aggression the strongest negative correlations with aspects of the self-concept. In most instances no relationship existed between the ideal self-concept of adolescents and the emotions they experience. In terms of a discrepancy between the self-concept and the ideal self-concept, results indicated that trust was the most prominent positive emotion and depression, aggression and distrust the most prominent negative emotions. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

This research study examines the manner in which a cardiological sample presents in terms of their psychological make-up by making specific reference to the constructs self-concept and emotions. A literature overview of different aspects of self-concept, emotion and cardiology places the results and discussions of the study within a theoretical background. The study supplies descriptive information relating to the demographic profile of the sample, followed by a description of various aspects of self-concept and emotions, as well as a correlational exploration of the manner in which the sample group presents. The sample consisted of 29 individuals, all who had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) and been subjected to surgery as a result thereof. The participants completed a questionnaire, containing two measurement instruments, namely the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) and the Emotions Profile Index (EPI). The scores, obtained by the sample, were subjected to statistical analysis to provide a self-conceptual and emotional profile of the sample. The Spearman Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient was then used to indicate the extent to which the sample tended towards portraying themselves in a positive light, more than they might be experiencing. The study further refers to the views of the sample group, relating to these findings, as obtained from an information and discussion session held with them. The study indicate a significant statistical trend amongst the sample group to portray themselves in a positive light in relation to emotions, even though they were not in reality experiencing such positive emotions. Although the same positive trend was indicated with self-concept, the study cannot conclusively indicate that this is not a realistic presentation of the sample group as a whole. / Dissertation (Counselling Psychology)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted